PGSM The Second Story
by anamatics
Summary: The silence is approaching, but the inner senshi are starting to reawaken their powers. Can they work together with the seemingly neutral outer senshi? Or will all their efforts for collaboration be for naught?
1. Chapter 1

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

Two Years After the Special Act, Six Years After the Dark Kingdom's Defeat

The Princess of the Moon and heir to the Silver Millennium slept inside the body and consciousness of one Tsukino Usagi. Someday, she would awaken once again, but that time had yet to come to pass, and as time progressed, the awareness of the princess seemed to fade entirely out of memory and time, leaving only Tsukino Usagi behind. She was a bright, cheerful girl that no one expected very much from, as she had a reputation of being lazy and somewhat self-centered, not to mention extremely childish when it suited her purposes. None of these things were true, but rather remnants of a glamor put upon her long ago to make sure, once and for all, that she would never be discovered to be the princess before her time. On a whole, Tsukino Usagi was a very well-rounded person who was finally starting to grow up into the person she had to become sometime in the not-so-distant future.

After all, the time of their battles had passed a long time ago, leaving them to finally follow their dreams. The Princess' guard was finally starting to let go of their old mannerisms and protective natures, forgetting, as time often forces us to, that they were the senshi that had guarded the Princess of the Moon. That they lived and died by her whim, and that protecting her was paramount in their consciousnesses. It was better that way, really, because no one wanted to remember the pain of that time in their lives - where friends were lost and alliances were forged at the drop of a hat.

Their newfound peace, however, was only temporary. They were servants to their queen, and they all knew that fact to be true on some level of their consciousness. They knew on some level that it was only a matter of time before they were once again called to pick up arms and stand once more at the front lines. Their princess was a peaceful person, it was up to them, her guardians, to provide her with the sort of protection that she needed in order to create the world they all dreamed of.

-  
Kyoto, Summer, Four Years Ago

The bookstore's air conditioner was a welcome reprieve from the wet heat of the day. The clouds above were heavy with rain that they would not release, and the temperature was far too warm for anyone to be comfortable out of doors for any prolonged period of time. The wet, suffocating heat was so unlike anything that she'd ever experienced, and she'd decided that she simply was not equipped with the genetic capacity to sit calmly by and let this awful heat press down around her. Half of her parentage came from this country, it must have been her mother's genes that made the heat so unbearable. Yes, she nodded, that had to be it.

As the newest addition to the bookstore's patrons shoved her umbrella into her purse, she glanced around for the store's directory; looking for a section where she could rest for the precious few minutes that she had herself today. The directory was hand-written and clearly hadn't been updated in some time, but she could read it without a problem - she'd never had any trouble learning Kanji. The sign pointed her towards the back of the store, where a lone open doorway seemed to lead into only blackness. Stairs, perfect. She headed up a rickety flight of stairs towards the contemporary art section, hoping that if she stayed away from the classical music section, she would not run into any fans. That was the last thing that she wanted today, for she'd already dealt with enough of them over the course of the past few hours.

She reached the top of the stairs and paused to catch her breath, for the stairs had been a lot steeper than she'd originally thought. This was an old building, she'd reasoned, built before the Japanese had a strong grasp on western architecture - the stairs were steep and the ceiling was low on this floor. She frowned, annoyed that she felt winded after just a few stairs, and gathered up as much of her curly hair as she could from the nape of her neck, hoping that having the unruly curls off of the back of her neck might actually help to cool her down. The coolness of the room dried the sweat there in a matter of seconds and she exhaled happily as a wave of coolness swept over her.

There was almost no one on this floor, considering that most of the store's manga and magazines were on the floor below. She dropped her hair and headed towards the long rows of low bookshelves, housing everything from antique car manuals to a rather impressive collection of art books compiling many of the contemporary artists that she, herself, was so fond of.

She found a book that was too her liking, a little out of place and wedged rather tightly between a book on Chegal and another one of those old car manuals - this one on the inner workings of a Ford-model transmission from the seventies - that she could not understand the value of. She supposed that someone must buy them, but she couldn't think who would want to waste their money on such a thing, considering that gasoline was so expensive and the world was running out of oil at such an alarming rate. She sighed and wiggled the book out from between the others that were holding it in place.

"Do you need a hand?" a low, somewhat amused-sounding voice asked from directly behind her.

She jumped and spun around, her skirt swirling around her knees and her eyes flashing something dangerous. She should have known better - she should have expected it here. She was famous in some circles after all, and her presence never went unnoticed for any length of time. She tried not to frown at the figure before her, masked as their face was behind sunglasses, and plastered a bemused smile on her face that felt more like a grimace.

"I'll manage, thank you," she said curtly. She turned back around and pulled the book out with no problem, and proceeded to make a rather large show of heading over to one of the completely empty sections of the large show room. She didn't know why she did it, perhaps she was just too on edge from being around so many pushy people all morning. Either way, she supposed that at some point, if the tall androgynous figure remained in the store, that she should say she was sorry for for her sudden rudeness.

There was something else, a strange pull towards that tall figure as well that she did not understand; like the feeling of being pulled back out to sea by the undertow after riding a wave in to shore. She frowned and tried to instead return her attention to the book before her.

She stared at the title page, wondering what could possibly cause her behavior to be so odd. She had no connection what so ever to this city or this country. Her father was Japanese, but she'd lived and worked in England most of her life, the idea of returning to the 'mother country' seemed a little lost on her, really. She'd learned the language from her father and had taken lessons in school to make sure that she could read and write Japanese as well. She'd done well so far with the intricate nature of polite interaction while she was promoting herself here - but it was just so oppressive.

She missed the scenery of her home. Her brow twitched.

That annoying person was staring at her again.

She put on her best smile and asked over her shoulder, her face partly hidden by a curtain of hair. "Did you want something?"

The woman who'd been staring at her removed her sunglasses. It was a shocking change to her face, for the removal of the hard lines of the sunglasses seemed to emphasize just how femine a face it really was. Clear gray eyes stared down at her as she tried to mentally name the color of the woman's hair. It was somewhere between the reddish brown that many Japanese women dyed their hair to be and the sandy-brown colored hair that one of her closest friends had back home. She clearly wasn't Japanese at all, but her features suggested that she must have some Japanese heritage, and her speech was close to perfect.

"Just wondering if there was a reason you were making all those adorable noises," The tall woman said, her voice gentle.

She frowned, she hadn't been aware that she was making noises at all. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused for someone else." She said sweetly, smiling even though she was mentally going through all the ways that she could have this annoying person arrested for harassment. Surely it was a crime to invade another person's space on such a hot day.

"No I'm quite sure it was you," the tall woman laughed, and it cut through the room like one of the graceful arias that she'd been playing earlier had filled the room with a sweet beautiful note. She didn't think that she'd ever heard anything so beautiful, and the woman took her sudden accepting look as a sign to come even further into her personal space. It made her want to scream, but she couldn't very well think of a way to get out of the situation. "You bite your tongue when you read, it is really quite adorable."

She knew that she bit her tongue. Her father had been lecturing her about it for years, and she'd always thought as though it was a far better habit than say, biting her nails. She just looked a little silly while doing it. She put a hand to her mouth to cover the small smile that was forming there and commented, completely changing the subject, "Your accent, it isn't Japanese."

The tall woman leaned back, her hands clasped behind her head as she stretched. There seemed to be something of a challenge flickering across her face before she retorted, "Neither is yours."

"I'm not from around here." She said, adding a little hastily. Perhaps this annoying woman didn't know who she was, for that would make her life so much easier. She didn't look the type to be a fan of classical music, but then again, she knew better than to judge anyone by their looks alone. This person seemed genuinely interested in her, and not the music that she could coax out of her violin. It was a rather refreshing experience, but she still felt the need to clarify, "I only came here for work."

"I can relate to that."

She felt bold. "Care to talk about it over something cool to drink?"

"I think that I'd like that very much."


	2. Chapter 2

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Winter, Four Years Ago

Their friendship was fairly innocent. That was the first thing that Michiru Kaiou would say about the friendship that had formed that hot day in the Kyoto bookstore. There was nothing particularly special about the easy companionship that formed between the two of them. They were two people who were crushed by the expectations of their daily lives and they knew, perhaps better than anyone else, what it meant to be truly alone.

They'd found each other, and that had been enough for them.

Michiru reasoned that it had started fairly innocently, her attraction to this tall, spunky woman who could make her laugh at the touch of a hat. Haruka Tenou was something else, and Michiru had to confess that sometimes just being around the other woman was enough to turn a miserable day into one of the best of her life. There was no real explaining it, for they rarely saw each other because of the opposing demands on their schedules.

Still, Michiru found herself drawn like a moth to a flame to Haruka. She tried to resist the urges, her upbringing and her fear for her career, but she somehow found herself sleeping with Haruka curled protectively around her more often than not when they spent time together. Michiru was no fool, and she knew better than to play into destiny the way that so many of her friends seemed to when they thought they'd found the right person. Haruka was just someone that she was passing the time with - someone who understood the problems of the demands of their lives, as they lived the same facade on a daily basis.

She wasn't in love with Haruka, when she came down to admitting it, but she did love her on some base level. There was an underlying attraction that Michiru could not explain, something that told her that she had to be with the blond and no one else. It was a strange sort of feeling that he couldn't quite understand. There was a connection between them that made her both uneasy and happy.

What was it exactly about sitting in a park and kissing such a gallantly beautiful girl that made the closet romantic that lived within Michiru's subconscious so happy? She didn't know, for Haruka's hands always got tangled up in her hair and then they had to spend a long time taming the unruly curls into something that was slightly more manageable after every kiss they shared.

Michiru had half a mind to simply cut all of her hair off it meant that she could kiss Haruka without having to worry about looking as though she'd just lived through several days of wild sex. It was stupid, really, but when they were together, it was getting harder and harder to keep their hands to themselves.

"Haruka," Michiru asked one night, as they watched the sun sink over the horizon from the balcony of Haruka's apartment. "Are we dating?"

Haruka looked taken aback, as though she'd never really thought about the question. Michiru smiled and fixed her with one of those expectant stares that she'd learned Haruka could not refuse.

"I dunno," Haruka admitted, her voice thick as she tried to answer Michiru's question. Michiru watched her with expectant eyes, because this was the sort of thing that could make or break a relationship. "I mean, we do so much together that it almost seems as though we are..."

Michiru frowned. Not that answer that she'd wanted, but close enough to make it work, to some extent. She knew that they were close, and that the kisses were nice - more than nice.

It was like coming home.

"I think we are." She announced with a smile.

Haruka shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"Seriously, Haruka, you should care about stuff like this..." Michiru muttered, leaning into the taller girl's embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Summer, Three Years Ago.

The dreams had started quite innocently, with Michiru finding herself awakening with a sense of desperation and panic that she'd never experienced before. She didn't like the feeling of being suddenly ripped from the peaceful abyss of sleep to find herself standing in the field of such horrid destruction. She was somehow a part in all this, and the idea of that scared her far more than anything else.

Haruka told her to go to the doctor as the dreams got worse, but they occurred even with the sleeping pills that she'd been prescribed for her numerous nights of not sleeping at all. Michiru couldn't explain it, but she knew that she had to listen to the dreams, even if she didn't want to. She was so scared to lose everything, to give in to the destruction that the dreams depicted.

She tried to paint it once, showing Haruka why she stayed up all night running on energy drinks and caffeine pills that couldn't be good for her. Haruka had frowned and told her that pretty girls should not paint such depressing things and that had been the end of that conversation.

That night, the dreams changed as though Haruka's rejection of the image had somehow been directly wired into Michiru's subconscious as the trigger to make a bad situation even worse. What had once just been just images of a horrible death now reflected a different time, one of happiness and extreme sadness. Michiru would wake up screaming a name that died on her tongue as she tried to recall it. The girl in her dreams told her that she had to remember for all of their sakes, and yet as Michiru curled up into a ball as far away from Haruka as she could manage in the small bed that they shared, she tried to force all the emotions that connected with the images she saw in her dreams out of her mind. Out of sight, out of mind, she told herself. She was going slightly crazy, after all.

After nearly a week with only a few hours of half conscious 'sleep' Michiru stumbled out into the London Underground intent on spending some time simply zoning out and recording a few more cuts to run by her producers before she attempted to resolve this conflict for real. She had an appointment with a Neurologist in a few days and she was determined to at least try and fix them problem on her own.

The Tube lurched forward and Michiru found herself spacing out once more. The lack of sleep and the constant highs and lows of running off of energy drinks was making it so she could barely keep her eyes open most of the time - she mostly spaced out and drifted off for a few seconds before waking up again with a profound sense of terror caused by the images that her waking mind was pressing into her subconscious.

That girl, begging her to remember the past, her mission and promises that she was positive she'd never made.

"You'd do better to just listen to them," a tall, dark-skinned woman commented from the seat across the subway car from her.

Michiru blinked, staring at this well-dressed woman and wondering why exactly she was sounding like a crazy homeless street person. Come to think of it, how did this person even know what Michiru was experiencing?

"What?" She asked, her voice filled with the fatigue of so many nights without any sleep at all.

"It is better to simply listen to what your dreams are trying to tell you, Miss Kaiou, and try to remember the past." The woman's wise eyes looked out of place on her young face - and Michiru found herself frowning as she tried to understand why this woman was even talking to her.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded after a minute.

"I know quite a lot about you, Michiru," the woman said cryptically. "You should take heed of my warning. The silence is approaching, and you have no way of stopping it in your current state."

The subway car rolled in to the next station and in the chaos of people getting off and onto the train, Michiru found herself wondering why she was so afraid of remembering the past in the first place. She didn't notice that the woman across from her had vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Autumn, Three Years Ago

To tell the truth, Michiru was not surprised when she encountered the first creature. In a sense, she'd been waiting for months for the initial attack. The dreams had to have lead somewhere and she was sure that it was only a matter of time until the images that she saw in her dreams became a stark reality. She didn't like to admit that she was playing a dangerous game, or that she didn't really want to know what lay on the other end of the endless tunnel of bad thoughts and even worse dreams. She was curious, as she suspected anyone would be, when faced with such circumstances. She wanted to know why she was so desperate in the dreams, so terrified. She wanted to know what the silence that she was dreading actually was.

She was on her way home, cutting through the park near her apartment building. She'd been sleeping better recently, but the dreams still haunted her every waking minute. They plagued her thoughts as nothing else did, but simply accepting them somehow made it seem better. Sure, Michiru slept a lot less than she had before, but at the same time, she was able to say that she no longer felt filled with the sensation that she was going crazy. No, the dreams were now less frequent, but more intense. She had been given the gift of a few precious hours of sleep a night and that was all she really needed. She'd taken that strange woman on the tube's advice and had started to actually attempt to listen to what the dreams were telling her. She didn't know why she'd even bothered to listen to that strange woman, but somehow she felt a lot less like she was going crazy than she had in the past few weeks.

Haruka was out of town at a race in America and she was alone in the small apartment they shared. Michiru didn't like sleeping alone, but she knew that this was a part of their relationship - the long periods of apart were simply something that she had to deal with. Even if it felt like her head was slipping open and her heart was breaking every time Haruka left.

They were like two halves of the same coin, and while it was frustrating to not see so much of each other during the long periods of absence that both of them had to endure because of their opposite schedules and careers.

Still, she walked alone at night with her head held up high. She was proud of who she was and what she did. The fact that she'd spent most of the summer feeling as though she was going insane simply made her stronger. Michiru was starting to get the feeling that the dreams she was plagued with had nothing to do with who she was and a lot to do with the circumstances of her life. They were just too well-presented and terrifying to mean anything else.

The silence, whatever it was, was approaching. She had to fight against the urge to vomit everything that she'd eaten today just picturing the images of destruction that her dreams showed her.

Something rustled in the bushes to her left and Michiru flinched instinctively. It was probably just a bird or a stray cat. She was so on edge because of the dreams; constantly waiting for the prescribed moment that she knew was coming eventually. She had to be ready, prepared for what was going to happen.

She had to listen to what the beautiful woman in her dreams was telling her.

Neptune...

Michiru closed her eyes and stood stock-still, listening to the sounds of the busy city around her. Her coat swirled around her in the gentle breeze that had picked up earlier that afternoon and the hair that had wrestled itself free from the tight braid she'd pulled it into that morning danced across her face. Something was about to happen, something big.

She swallowed.

Was this what the dreams were talking about? She didn't know what they'd wanted her to be ready for, but the feeling of dread that welled up in the pit of her stomach was nothing to trifle with. She opened her eyes and looked around, wondering what exactly it was that she should be looking for.

This all seemed so crazy, but Michiru was no fool, she knew better than most people what it meant to feel crazy. This was logical and a natural progression of events. She was ready for it.

The sound of clapping reached her ears.

She turned quickly, her fists clenched as she tried to figure out what exactly she was going to do should she actually have to defend herself. She had no skill for fighting, that was Harukas territory.

"I have to say, I did not expect you to take my advice to heart, Kaioh Michiru." From the shadows came that same woman from the Tube all those months ago. The tall, rather enigmatic woman that was completely implacable in age and origin.

Michiru felt her breath catch in her throat; the woman was undeniably beautiful, if you liked them tall, dark and exotic. Michiru's tastes ran a little more down to earth, but she could not help the indignation that came from the woman calling her name in the wrong order. She'd thought that she'd recognized the woman's accent and it turned out that she was correct. Japanese and still messing with her life. She hated that place, the language and its people. The only good thing that had come had come from that place was that Michiru had met Haruka, which was something that sang of many wondrous futures together. "My name is Michiru Kaioh. I am not Japanese."

"You are half, young one." The woman laughed, a mysterious and distant smile crossing her painted red lips. She raised her hand to cover her mouth in one of those outdated ladylike gestures that did nothing but make her look old fashioned and foolish.

Michiru folded her arms and huffed, turning away from the woman. She hated being followed like this - it came with the territory of being somewhat famous in some circles, but this was getting ridiculous. Still, this woman seemed to know more about her than most of her fans did - enough to push buttons in Michiru's subconscious that had not been pushed since grade school.

The woman made an expansive gesture with her hands and shrugged. "That, however, has nothing to do with the current situation."

The rustling in the bushes slowly grew louder, and Michiru spun to find herself face to face with a creature that she could not even begin to describe in words. Was it a monster? She didn't think so. It was large and wormlike, with a centipedes numerous legs and the mouth of something like a dung beetle. It was terrifying and reeked of everything that she'd been dreaming about for years.

She raised her hands to protect herself against the creature, but it did not move. It was like it was watching her, curious as to her move.

"Oh my..." Michiru brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she tried to keep the bile that had welled up in her throat from causing her to vomit. "What is this?"

The creature sprung forward then, and Michiru threw herself out of the way, grateful that she was not carrying her violin with her at the moment, for it would surely be destroyed as she rolled through the dirt of the trimmed-down-for-the-winter flower beds. She groaned, getting to her feet and looking around for the woman who had been talking to her a moment ago. She had to have something to do with this, Michiru was positive.

The woman was standing off to one side, under the light of a lone street lamp, looking oddly untroubled by the fact that Michiru was being chased by a creature that looked as though it had risen from her nightmares without so much as a second thought to the constraints of reality.

"What are you doing!?" Michiru shouted, stumbling over her shoes - fashionable but not at all practical for running in the dark - as she headed towards the light. "You can fight it! You can kill it!" She didn't know how she knew that fact to be true. She couldn't stand watching that person just stand by and let the battle happen once again. This time, yes, this time, she would fight and die along with the rest of them. It was their way and their duty in life.

The woman smiled and held out her hand to Michiru, a small, aqua-colored rod in her hand. "Take the power inside you and force it outwards, Neptune."

"Why won't you fight!" Michiru demanded, slapping the hand away and grabbing the woman by her collar. It was so out of character for her to be the aggressor - she blamed it on too much time around Haruka - but the sudden presence of whatever that monster was, along with the inaction of this woman was enough to push Michiru towards violence that she had not believed herself capable of.

"This is not my fight," The woman said calmly. Her eyes were hard, angry, and defensive. Michiru had always good at reading people. This was hard for her to do. Why?

"Then why involve me?" Michiru demanded, their faces inches apart. She could feel the woman's breath on her face. The monster would not come into the light - she somehow knew. She was safe here.

"Because this is your battle, Neptune." The woman took Michiru's fingers in her hands, carefully untangling them from her shirt collar and pressing that aqua rod into her hands once more.

Michiru looked down at it and almost threw it away in disgust. Somehow, she knew, however, that she would not be able to do that. This creation of seemingly peaceful energy that reminded Michiru of the waves crashing against the coast was attached to her even when nothing else was. It troubled her to be attached to something like that, for she and Haruka had promised each other long ago that they would always live for each other's dreams and nothing else. This was sounding dangerously like a commitment that she wasn't prepared to make. "What did you call me?"

"Do you not remember yet?" The woman raised an amused eyebrow.

"No!" Michiru didn't feel anything but frustration and annoyance with this cryptic woman. "What do you want me to know?"

"Then this will be much harder for you." The woman closed her eyes and raised her hand to the sky. She shouted something indecipherable in a language that Michiru did not understand and was encased in an eerie greenish black light. The light fated in a matter of seconds and the woman was wearing something that Michiru had not seen out of shoujo manga (not that she read it, mind you). A grown woman in a miniskirt and leotard with a sailor collar and bows attached. She looked foolish, dangerously foolish. "My name is Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time and space. Prepare yourself Michiru, this will be a long, hard fight."


	5. Chapter 5

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Winter, Two Years Ago

Michiru thought that by accepting destiny that she was free and in the clear - that she no longer had to worry about the constant barrage of nightmares and dreams of a different, far-off time. Quite the opposite happened, in fact, and Michiru found herself plagued with dreams of a woman that she could not quite remember from that time. Sailor Pluto - Meiou Setsuna as she was called in this day and age - had told her that the memories of her past life would return quickly and that the transition would be painful and difficult for her.

She was a failure as a warrior as it seemed, Pluto was not amused at the fact that she'd somehow managed to tap into her past life's memories so quickly. Michiru reasoned, and Neptune's spirit agreed, that a warrior was difficult to control when they knew the full picture of events. Pluto would not answer her demands about the princess, about Venus and the rest of the princess' guard; replying only with a cryptic point that they were safe.

Michiru, apparently, did not get to know yet.

She rolled over and opened her eyes. She was not going to sleep tonight, and she resigned herself to that fact. The dreams of having sex with someone else were jarring and she did not like them. They felt as though she was somehow cheating on Haruka with these dreams. She didn't need them. She was content knowing that she'd had a lover in the past. She didn't need one now. She already had one, thank you very much.

Haruka's face was bathed in moonlight, a slight sheen of sweat covered her face as she slept. She looked ruggedly beautiful in this light, innocent without the harsh lines on her fact that appeared during the day - making her look severe. Michiru was the only one who could boast that she'd seen this face, this very private face of the public figure of Haruka Tenou. The face that was currently contorted into something akin to pain as Haruka raised her hand in her sleep, as if trying to reach for something that she could not see.

It was strange for Haruka to have a nightmare like this, and it troubled Michiru far more than the dreams about past lovers and lives. The silence was approaching and Michiru didn't know how to stop it - or if she even wanted to stop it any more.

Pluto had told her that on no uncertain terms was she to keep up this 'facade' of a relationship once the actual battles started, but there had been somethign about the way that she'd said it that made Michiru think. There was more going on here than met the eye, and she was quite positive that Pluto was keeping her in the dark for reasons that she had yet to grasp.

Still, it was strange to see Haruka like this, so similar to how she'd been over the summer. Michiru scooted closer to Haruka and placed a comforting hand on top of Haruka's own, now clenched tightly around the bed sheet. She soothed the tight grasp, coaxing it to clasp her own hand as she cooed quiet nothings into Haruka's ear. They'd both been sleeping really poorly these past few days, and Michiru wasn't really sure what to make of it. She was content, right now, to simply sit and watch Haruka's chest slowly rise and fall in time with her breathing.

There was something very wrong with the world, right now. Michiru closed her eyes and tried to picture what exactly it was that was bothering her so much. The memories that were plaguing her every waking moment. She knew what she had to do - she knew that she would die for this mission if she had to.

Yet she did not want to.

She had things that kept her tied to this earth, to Michiru Kaiou, things that she would fight for with all of her might. She would not lose herself to the great wheel of destiny. She was not a pawn in some great evil's plot. She was a soldier for the good, for the light. Her memories told her that much without much trouble, but it was her reasons for fighting that always plagued her. She knew that she fought for life, for peace, and for justice - but she never understood _why_ she did it.

Pluto was just as cryptic about that question as she was with every other one - but she did smile when Michiru asked. "Give it time," she'd said. "You deserve a happy ending this time."

Which implied that it had not ended well in the past life.

Michiru couldn't remember her own death.

She supposed that that was a good thing, really, when one thought about it.

She snuggled closer to Haruka, content to simply be warm and with someone who cared about her for the moment. Old memories could surface later.

Old lovers could stay buried.


	6. Chapter 6

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Winter, Two Years Ago

Michiru felt as though she and Haruka were drifting apart. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was that was bothering her so much about the nature of their relationship, but the two of them seemed to spend more time away from each other than together these days. It was nearly Haruka's birthday and Michiru could count on her fingers the times that they'd seen each other since Christmas - which was rather depressing, since they lived together.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, cradling the phone closer to her ear as Haruka told her excitedly the details of the race she was going to be participating in two days from now. This race could make of break her career, as far as Michiru could gather, and Michiru was trying to be as supportive as she could from the safe distance of England. Haruka had already left for Africa the day before, leaving Michiru alone in their apartment with her feelings and the precious little that she could decipher from Neptune's memories about the past.

So far, Michiru had nothing, nothing solid that she could work with and no more than few fleeting glimpses of past splendor and a sense of dread to base her actions upon. All in all, it was just a bad situation.

Her other phone, the one that only her agent had the phone number to buzzed and Michiru opened it up to find a text message with some information about yet another teen-pop sensation that Michiru should consider preforming with as a way to start to insert herself into the more commonly listened to, and therefore better-selling markets of the music industry.

Her agent had been bugging her more and more recently. His latest thing was asking her to work with some Japanese and now international pop-idol who actually had musical talent on a few instrumental pieces that the young idol herself had written. His way of selling the idea to Michiru was saying that it would help her popularity among the youth of her father's native country; something that Michiru could have cared less about.

Michiru didn't really want to work with anyone from the 'pop' label of music, she'd worked with younger, more 'poppy', musicians before, and found them rather boorish, not to mention downright obnoxious at times; but there was something catching about this nineteen year old girl's songs that made her think twice.

That and the fact that she was so obviously Sailor Venus that Michiru thought she'd been slapped in the face when her agent had first suggested a duet. _C'est La Vie?_ Michiru spoke some French, but she didn't need to be a rocket scientist to break down the way that one would say the name and chorus of that song in Japanese to realize that Aino Minako had written a song about her past self. It was something that Michiru was not ready to do, and Neptune's spirit seemed to be against, this duet, so Michiru had begged off from her manager, putting it off. She asked Setsuna about it, about the implications of her actions should she make contact with the inner senshi - only to be stonewalled once more. The cryptic woman said nothing other than that she should follow her heart and not forget her mission.

Michiru thought that Setsuna was trying to help her, really, while it was Pluto who was purposely trying to steer her off course and away from the logical process of her thoughts. She sometimes found it hard to remember that Pluto, along with herself was at war with her current, more modern, personality. The personality of Meiou Setsuna was something that Michiru had only seen glimpses of in the five months that she'd known of her destiny - and Michiru had learned quickly to heed the advice of the wise young woman with immortal eyes.

In a way, Michiru wanted to meet this girl, Sailor Venus. She was no stranger to Aino Minako's music, and she was curious who the person that Venus always sang about was - for Michiru had always thought that it was probably the princess she was pledged to protect. Some of those songs, however, seemed to speak of the sort of love that Michiru was herself struggling to reject. Being chained in by the past was not somethign that she wanted.

She would have to meet Aino Minako and see what she had to say about it.

She rang off with Haruka a few minutes later and turned to find Sailor Pluto standing before her in full uniform. Michiru jumped nearly ten feet in the air as she caught sight of the dark-haired woman, letting out a surprised squeak as she scooted backwards in her chair in her hurry to not look as though she'd just been taken completely by surprise by Pluto's sudden appearnance.

Michiru hated it when Pluto did that.

"Transform," the woman said with a distant smile. "You get to meet your partner tonight."

Michiru blinked, and then hurriedly called out the phrase that would allow her to materialize the sailor uniform and truly harness the power of Neptune once more.

Who would this one be? Uranus? Saturn? She wasn't sure, but she was curious to meet this new person. Pluto was gone by the time that Neptune was fully transformed, and Michiru quickly honed in on Pluto's magical signal and followed it out over the city. She eventually stopped in the park where she'd first awakened as a senshi. There were two strong presences here, and the weaker power of one of the creatures that they were supposed to be killing off in order to prevent the silence (how, Michiru still had yet to see).

"Pluto," she said, stopping just at the edge of the pool of light provided by the street lamps scattered sporadicly around the park.

"Neptune." Pluto responded curtly. She nodded her head to the tall figure of a woman behind her, "This is Sailor Uranus. She's going to be your new partner in your endeavor to stop the silence."

Neptune blinked and nodded, bringing a gloved hand to her mouth as she took in the tall blond woman that had stepped into the light. This was the lover than she'd forgotten, the face that she could not remember. The beautifully handsome face of a woman that Michiru had been struggling to remember for months now.

She lost all control of herself then, and pushed forward, into the light, into that woman's arms. She felt safe there, protected by an insurmountable force that would never fail to stand in her defense. Inside, Michiru is scream, telling Neptune to back the fuck off, that she doesn't even know this woman, and acting as though she's some sort of wanton slut is no way to earn anyone's respect. She already has someone she's in love with, and Neptune and the past life can just take it and stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

And yet she can't do anything. She was powerless against the emotions washing over her face, her heart, her very psyche.

She wanted this.

"Hello." Uranus said, her voice friendly, if a little taken aback. "I didn't know this was how the senshi greeted each other."

Pluto made a short that sounded decidedly like laughter, and rolled her eyes. Michiru saw her do it, and glared back as best she could while not moving out of Uranus' arms.

Well, this was awkward.

Neptune was in full control by then, but Michiru forced her own control over her past self's memories and emotions, enough to push away from Uranus. "I'm very sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm Sailor Neptune." She offered her hand, "I guess we're going to be working together."

Inwardly, Michiru groaned. The fact that she had a face - a positively gorgeous face - to attach to the nameless lover from the past did absolutely nothing to make the situation any less awkward. she was going to die of embarrassment, she was sure of it - and the constant temptation of being around this person who she was so sure was part of the greater puzzle of the past life and her memories from that time was going to make working with Uranus harder than anything else.

She swallowed, hoping that she was ready for whatever it was that the future brought.


	7. Chapter 7

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Winter, Two Years Ago

Uranus was interesting to fight with, to say the least. She had a much more melee style of fighting than Michiru, who favored mid-range attacking while in senshi form. Pluto did say that they would compliment each other nicely, once both of them were fighting together in the same battles and Michiru had to agree with her that there was a certain ease that came with fighting with Uranus that Michiru had never before experienced. It was like a rush every time she saw the tall blond, and Michiru could barely keep her emotions in check every time Neptune's feeling for her partner welled up.

She had to put a stop to this, it felt as though she was going crazy, trying to prevent the inevitable incident when Uranus would remember who she was in the past life and Michiru would suddenly find herself between a rock and a very hard place. She would not cheat on Haruka, but this whole business with past lives was just awful and made everything far more complicated than Michiru wanted it to be.

Brushing a strand of blue hair out of her eyes, she squinted towards the center of the battle, where Uranus was trying to get off a successful _World Shaking_ against their enemy. It was a large bug-like creature, nearly two stories tall and the size of a small car with at least ten beady eyes pointing in every direction, making a surprise attack next to impossible.

Michiru sent a _Deep Submerge_ into the fray, calling out for Uranus to move then blast the thing as soon as her attack hit. Their strategy works, and the creature goes down, leaving only a few cracked sidewalks and some broken windows as it fades away into nothing.

"Good fight." Uranus said diplomatically, landing beside Michiru and grinning wolfishly. She looked a lot like Haruka when she did that, and Michiru can feel her cheeks burn as she looked away. She didn't want Uranus to see that she was so obviously smitten.

"Yes it was," They do this every battle. First one and then the other would speak in flowery words littered with compliments - then they would part ways, Michiru hurrying home to Haruka and a her seemingly normal life.

"Say, Neptune," Uranus said, her face almost washed out by the setting sun behind her tall frame. Michiru squinted into the bright light, trying to get a clear look at Uranus' face. "Do you remember the past at all?"

Michiru - or rather Neptune - took a step closer to Uranus it took all of Michiru's will-power to keep Neptune from doing something rash like jumping into Uranus' arms and confessing her undying love right then and there. Michiru would not cheat, she was above this, she had to be. She took a deep breath and shrugged, "What do you want to know?"

Uranus looked sheepish for a moment, running her hand through her hair and frowning. "I don't remember anything. Just that I have a mission and that someday I will find happiness with the rest of the senshi."

Michiru nodded. Those were the first memories that came back for her as well, the sense of fulfillment and happiness to be fighting, along with a deep-seeded fear of the dark creatures that they were fighting. They'd been alive at the end of the past life, long after the Princess and her Prince had committed suicide - long after the rest of their companions had perished.

She can still remember the look on the lifeless face of Sailor Mars, the proudest warrior she knew, sprawled not feet away from Venus and the rest of the inner guard. That face gave Michiru nightmares that were nothing like her visions of the impending doom of the world, for it was suddenly so real. The costs of this battle were very real, and Michiru was very afraid of what was going to happen to her, if she wasn't careful.

"The memories are painful," Michiru winced, for she sounded like Pluto, "Are you sure that you really want to know that level of pain and suffering?"

Uranus shrugged, "I guess that they'll come back on their own, right?"

Michiru nodded. "In time. I kept my lover up for months with all my nightmares."

She stopped, looking oddly at Uranus. As a general rule, they did not talk about their home lives while on these missions. There was no point, they weren't friends in the real world, just partners in this fantasy world battle between good and evil. She was interested to see if Uranus would join in the conversation, or simply let it drop, as they usually did in such situations.

The rain that'd been threatening to fall all day starts and they both stand in the near-freezing temperature, completely unfazed. The weather was now very strange looking, like a midsummer's day when the clouds were thick with rain, but the sun still peaked through the clouds to pocket the ground with brilliant golden spots of light. Michiru sighed, they were going to get sick, and this weather was positively awful.

"I don't think that mine would care that much," Uranus said thoughtfully. "We're both so busy these days that I hardly get a chance to see her. This is a big year for her, anyway. Big concert and record deal to collaborate with Aino Minako, international pop-star for the future of the world, of all people."

Michiru stopped cold, her heart ceasing to beat. That was what Haruka called Minako Aino, every time she came up in conversation, like clockwork. No no no, this cannot be good, but she will not allow her brain to go in that direction. There is no way that Uranus could know her somehow in the real world. No way at all.

"Sailor Venus?" Still, Aino Minako is the source of much amusement for Michiru, and she would be damned if she was going to allow another chance to giggle about the lamentable state of Aino Minako's secret identity to slip though her fingers.

Somehow, it was just_ too_ funny for Michiru.

"Oh, you noticed that too?" Uranus grinned. "I swear, she was just asking to get caught with some of her song titles and what she sings about."

Michiru can barely contain her laughter, but what she was repressing was the hysterical sort of panicked giggles that she was more worried about escaping her lips. She can't be...

It can't be...

Uranus' grin widened as she leaned back, her arms behind her head in a gesture that Michiru has seen Haruka do more times than she can count. Michiru felt her mouth go dry. She didn't know what to say, but Uranus was more than capable of caring the conversation on by herself. "Yeah, anyway, my girlfriend's not really into that sort of music and neither am I - but I mean, wow. Aino Minako."

"Yes, Aino Minako's a huge name in that industry." Michiru agreed.

Uranus glanced towards the sun, then down at the communicator strapped to her wrist. "Shit," she said. "Look, Neptune, I've got a dinner date that I need to keep. I'll see you next time."

She vanishes quickly, and Michiru couldn't help but call out, "Haruka!" at Uranus' retreating form.


	8. Chapter 8

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Spring, Two Years Ago

Michiru couldn't think straight. The constant monotony of her life right now was driving her up the wall and she could not find the correct words to say anything to either Haruka or Uranus to fix the situation.

How exactly does one go about asking their lover if they are, in fact, a magical girl that could have fallen out of some Japanese comic for little girls?

Michiru thought that the whole thing was so absurd that it should have been easy for her to simply force the words out of her mouth. She couldn't, however. She was forever forcing the words to come when they simply would not. Michiru didn't know who to ask a question like that. She was so desperate for something, anything, to help her out, however, that she sought out Pluto. She hoped that their mysterious guide on this foray into the absolutely absurd would be able to provide her with some guidance on how to ask the questions that she so desperately needed to ask.

Pluto, however, wanted nothing to do with Michiru's own personal hang-ups and problems with their current mission. They where hard pressed, it seemed, to find anything that could be of use, for the monsters just kept on coming, with no signs of getting stronger and no clues as to who their enemy could be. She did not want to hear about Michiru's personal problems, as they had no real impact on the mission.

It was moments like these that made the irrational anger well up inside of Michiru. Pluto should have been helping them, not trying to hinder her and Uranus' progress at every step. They had to fight this evil, and in order to feel as though she could actually make a difference, Michiru knew that she needed to know if Uranus was Haruka. Pluto would not tell her.

Such was the nature of how these things worked.

Still, she tried to pull on her best face in order to get the point across. There was nothing that she could do about this. She was a soldier in a war that she had yet to truly understand.

After the next fight, Michiru threw caution into the wind and asked Uranus if she remembered anything from the past life. She knew that it was risky, and not something that she should have done for fear of risking revealing her own conflicted feelings when it came to the past life.

It had been close to a month since Uranus had first asked Michiru about the past life, enough time for the memories to start coming back. Michiru's had come back in a jumble that she was still sorting out, but she remembered the face of her lover first and foremost.

She guessed that Uranus was going to have the same reaction.

"Bits and peaces," Uranus looked at Michiru with a curious and indescribable expression on her face. "Why do you care?"

"I was wondering if you had someone who was special to you in the past life." What was she doing? This was going against the convention of what she'd been doing with Uranus for months now, simply not talking about herself for any length of time. Michiru guessed that she was curious; knowing what she did about the past life. She knew that Neptune and Uranus had had something - she didn't really know what exactly, the only memories she had of it were of the passion and the pain - in the past life. She'd drawn her own conclusions about the events, and she knew that she was very much in love with the memory of Uranus from the past life.

It was that idea that hurt her so much. She knew that she loved Haruka, but at the same time she loved this woman with every fiber of her being. How was she supposed to ask if they were, in earnest, the same person?

"We're having a conversation with layers, Neptune. Just say what you want to say." Uranus folded her arms across her chest. Spring was starting to arrive now, Michiru had just turned twenty-three two weeks ago, and finally the nights were warm enough for the both of them to not be cold in their Senshi uniforms.

Michiru clammed up, her hands sweating inside her gloves. She wanted to say everything, to beg Haruka to take off the mask of Uranus and simply come clean to her about everything that'd happened since this whole business with the senshi had started.

"I-" she began, not really knowing what to say.

"Are you that afraid?" Uranus asked, looking up towards the sky. "We've been dancing around this for _weeks_, Neptune. Just spit it out."

Michiru closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "In the past life, you and I were lovers, Uranus. Pluto told me the first time I met her that I shouldn't try to remembered the past life because it would just hurt everyone too much once I did."

Uranus looked pensive for a moment, "It's just that? What are you worried about then, Neptune? I have a lover already, I won't let the past dictate what I do now."

Michiru sighed, perhaps now would be her chance to slip that it. "I have a lover too, she's a lot like you, Uranus... always with her head stuck in the clouds."

Uranus laughed, "I wish."

Michiru wanted to scream. How did one go about asking these questions without sounding like a fool? She wasn't good at play acting, for her talents were far more musically based, and this was the worst rouse ever.

She supposed that a little slip up couldn't really be helped.

She looked towards the sky, looking at all the tiny lights of distant worlds. She could do this, yes she could. "Can't you see, Haruka, the past life dictates the present one so nicely, it's as if fate rules over our every action."

Uranus doesn't say anything for a minute, and the air is thick with the silence around them. "So you figured it out, huh?"

"You gave it away with the comment you made about Aino Minako." Michiru smiled. "You always call her the same thing, and then when Uranus did it as well, I guessed."

"Michiru, why didn't you just say something?" Haruka has her in her arms now, and Michiru couldn't help but think the situation was still a little weird. She likes looking at Uranus' face, but Haruka's does not fill her with the heart wrenching longing like Uranus' does. "It's been weeks since that conversation."

"I had to be sure." Michiru explained, pulling Haruka's head down and kissing her. It was a different sort of kiss than the one that Michiru was used to, there was no innocence here, just the desperate longing of two souls that had been searching for each other across the stars.


	9. Chapter 9

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

* * *

London, Summer, Two Years Ago

Michiru didn't know what to expect from meeting Aino Minako. She guessed that the teen-pop-sensation would be a force to be reckoned with, a powerful egomaniac with her own way of doing things. Michiru was used to dealing with people like that, because she herself was a musician of the most normal and mundane variety. As far as she knew, however, Aino Minako had no idiotic hang ups that kept her from performing to the best of her ability, and she was not a drama queen.

Michiru's only problem was that she had this pesky Sailor Senshi thing hanging over her head constantly and she had no idea when she would have to drop everything to go run off and take care of another one of those monsters. It was better, far better, knowing that she had someone she could talk to about the problems of being a senshi, but Haruka was still somewhat miffed at her for not mentioning the whole 'magical girl' thing. Michiru thought that that was rather unfair of Haruka, as Haruka had kept her secrets as well, but she allowed Haruka the petty pleasure of being angry.

Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Haruka had a lot of opinions about Sailor Pluto's stoic silence about the oncoming destruction and the past life that Michiru herself agreed with. It was downright obnoxious dealing with Pluto most of the time, and Michiru didn't really know how exactly she was supposed to go about telling Pluto to just shut up and come clean with them. Setsuna, at least, seemed to want to help them, but her moments of lucidity around the incredible force of her past life's personality were intermittent and Michiru had given up looking for help from her.

Asking to speak to Setsuna, or just telling Pluto to get the stick out of her ass, as Haruka had tried the other night, however, had just resulted on more stonewalling.

Michiru hoped that meeting with Aino Minako, so clearly Sailor Venus and leader of the Princess' guard, would force Pluto into acting. Perhaps they could get some information out of Aino Minako that they could not learn from their own cryptic leader. The treat was not that important, apparently, as the senshi leader was not sticking close to her leader at all times. Michiru didn't understand why they'd been called upon as senshi if the threat was not all that serious. She remembered from the past that they'd had different missions than the inner guard, but it didn't explain why the inner guard was so clearly not actively guarding their princess.

Her manager had arranged to meet her at Aino Minako's hotel so that they, along with the idol and her own manager, could start to work out the details of what exactly any collaboration between the two of them would mean. The meeting was scheduled at Aino Minako London headquarters, a hotel where the idol could remain anonymous while she worked on her next album.

Why the idol wasn't working in Japan was completely beyond Michiru, but she put on a brave face and paid the extra money to take a cab to the hotel, as the tube did not go anywhere near the hotel where the meeting was. Haruka would most likely grumble about the expense when it came time to pay the bills, but it wasn't as if they didn't make money, it was just that they were saving to get a bigger apartment, in a better neighborhood. That, on top of the fact that they still were not sure what exactly they were going to be doing in a week – a month – or even a year from now. With the silence approaching, they would have to be near the princess and her guard, for the enemy would be attracted to her light, to the purity of her soul. It would be up to the two of them to protect the princess, using whatever means necessary.

Michiru was frankly worried about meeting Aino Minako, for she was not sure that she would be able to hide her identity from the girl. Somehow, she was positive that she should keep such a thing to herself, unless the idol herself brought it up. There was a sense, and just that, a _sense_ that she got from Pluto, that the inner guard were not currently active as Sailor Senshi. Michiru was not sure that she believed that hunch, but it was there, all the same.

She checked into hotel security and was almost instantly escorted up to the penthouse suite, where a rather frazzled-looking Japanese woman was sitting outside a firmly closed door, a cell phone clutched in her hands. She was messaging someone with a ferocity that Michiru had never seen before, and she suddenly wondered if this was Aino Minako's manager.

The woman's head perked up when Michiru walked into the room, and hastily stood up and started to bow, catching herself just barely in time to see Michiru's amused smile. "I'm sorry," the woman said in Japanese. "I'm not used to being in the west."

"Don't worry about it," Michiru replied, easily slipping into Japanese. She bowed as well, a bit deeper and more formally than the woman across from her. "My name is Michiru Kaiou; I have an appointment with Ms. Aino to talk about some possible collaboration." She looked around, her manager was nowhere in sight, but it made sense as the man was habitually late to everything. She didn't think that he'd be on time for his own wedding, if such an arrangement was left up to his sense of time alone. "It seems that my manager is not here yet, however."

The woman's eyes flew to her cell phone - it was more of a PDA, really - and she nodded after a moment of hastily keying through data. "Ah yes, Kaiou-san, we've been expecting you and your manager. I trust you found the place alright?"

Michiru nodded, "I've lived here all my life, so it was no problem." She paused for a minute, and then looked hard at the woman. "What was your name again?"

"Oh? I'm just the manager's secretary. No one important really, my name's Yamada Kazoko. Aino-san's manager out for coffee and Aino-san's holed up in her room with one of her _friends_." The woman bowed apologetically once more. She had that annoying habit of the Japanese, not meeting Michiru's eyes, no matter how hard Michiru tried to look her evenly in the eyes. What was polite in one culture, however, was very rude in the other. East and West, it seemed, never did really see eye to eye on these things. "Normally, I'd show you right in, but it seemed as though Aino-san wanted a few minutes before she met with you. Do you mind waiting?"

Michiru shook her head. She was used to waiting. It seemed that it was all that she and Haruka did these days. Pluto had hinted that a certain event was going to trigger their direct involvement in the conflict, but that she wasn't exactly sure when it was going to happen. Apparently, seeing the threads of time was not something that any amateur could do, and Pluto wanted to make sure that she wasn't wrong like she'd been in the past.

The door that Yamada Kazoko had been sitting in front of banged open and a rather annoyed looking girl stalked out, followed by a very flustered-looking Aino Minako.

Michiru tried to keep her gasp quiet, but it escaped her lips almost too quickly for her to catch the reflex. Here were two _warriors_, women who carried themselves with the grace of many years of training and battles. They didn't seem to notice Michiru, or anyone else for that matter, it was as though the world was focused right on the two of them, and nowhere else.

Michiru's eyes narrowed as she watched the two of them. She couldn't remember this fierce-looking woman with fire in her eyes from the past, but Michiru guessed that if Aino Minako was Venus, that this girl was most likely Sailor Mars. You never saw one without the other, after all; and it looked as though the thousand year time gap in between incarnations had done little to hide the tension, just barely below the surface, between the two of them. She hid a smile behind her hand and prepared to pretend that she didn't understand Japanese at all. It seemed as though the secretary was doing the same thing.

At the door, the fiery young woman paused and turned back to face the room, her hair swinging into her face and obscuring her features. From what Michiru could see, she was very pretty, and _very_ annoyed.

Aino Minako ground out, "Reiko, wait." Michiru could tell that it had taken her a lot to say the words, as Sailor Venus had never been one to back down from a fight. It was strange to see something like this; a side of the girl she'd expected to meet that was nothing like her expectations. "Hear me out."

"Why? You'll just say the same thing you always do, Mina." The woman's voice was sensual, and Michiru could feel the hair on the back of her neck pickle as she suddenly found herself very interested in her fingernails. There was power behind Mars' voice, and a lot of hurt that Michiru recognized. Venus had scarred this woman deeply, and it was clear by the way that she held herself and spoke around the idol.

Michiru wondered what she'd done.

"I'll come home soon, I promise." Aino Minako's tone was quiet as she spoke. She raised a hand up to rest on her cheek and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I rather miss Japan."

The other woman huffed quite spectacularly, folding her arms across her chest in such a way that only seemed to accentuate just how annoyed her body was. _God,_ Michiru thought, _this girl should be an idol right alongside Aino Minako, she carries herself like someone who hasn't a care for anyone, but really cares for everyone so deeply that she doesn't even realize it._

Rather like Haruka, when you thought about it.

"You just miss Usagi stalking you." Mars shot back. Michiru was positive she was Mars now, for she remembered arguments just like this, all through the past life.

Aino Minako put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Number one fans do that, Reiko, its normal. What's not normal is when you follow me halfway around the world to yell at me."

Mars looked away. Michiru could see a slight flush on her cheeks and she wondered if there was something more going on between the two of them. The way that they kept on glancing at each other and hurriedly looking away was usually a surefire sign that there was attraction lying just below the surface of the relationship. Michiru wondered if they even saw it yet.

"Whatever..." Mars straightened up, "Look, I had a layover so I came to see you, but it looks as though you're busy."

"I wouldn't want to be rude." Aino Minako seemed to notice Michiru for the first time then, and Michiru shook her head and shrugged. She had all the time in the world today.

"International Idol has to keep up appearances."

"Always." A gentle brush of fingers and the fiery woman was gone. "Goodbye Rei," Aino Minako whispered quietly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

When one is speaking Japanese, there is a tendency to trail off when one is uncertain or about to say something rude or negative that might be offensive to the listener. While I usually hate using '...' in stories, as there's so many other ways to express that particular part of speech, I've decided to include it simply because it actually makes sense to have them there. So don't mind them, there's a reason for them.

* * *

London, Summer, Two Years Ago

Michiru had to try very hard to make sure that she doesn't come off as rather insane as she tries not to burst into a fit of giggles at Aino Minako's completely chest-fallen expression as soon as the fiery woman leaves the office. It was so unlike Senshi Venus to look like that, and it almost made Michiru feel human again to see another girl hopelessly in love with someone and powerless to act on her emotions.

She stood up, smoothing her skirt, and offered her hand to the pop-star. "I'm Michiru Kaiou, we've spoken on the phone." Once, briefly, to confirm this appointment as their managers couldn't get a hold of each other. She spoke in English, as she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to reveal to this woman that she was more than proficient in Japanese, it was a trump card that she wanted to hang on to.

Aino Minako smiles warmly and takes her hand. They shake and the pop star turns to her assistant, and says in Japanese, "When Kaiou-san's manager gets here, send him in." She turns back to Michiru then, and smiles. Her English is close to perfect, which is impressive, "Well, Ms. Kaoiu, do you want to come with me?"

Michiru nodded and bent down to quickly collect her violin case from under her seat. She followed the pop idol with the barest of smiles to her assistant. Lateness was not something that she liked very much, and she was pretty sure that Aino Minako shared the sentiment. She would have to have words with her manager later.

The office was large and airy, but impersonal insofar as there was very little of the Idol in the room. Just a few gold and platinum records mounted on the wall, and a few pictures of the idol with various others - mostly at awards shows. Michiru wondered how she could work in such a place, for her own workspace at home was an absolute mess of memories and little bits of inspiration. This was just too sterile for Michiru's tastes; she wouldn't be able to work here for very long. She needed some form of clutter or she couldn't concentrate until she'd created some.

"So, Ms. Kaiou, without our managers here, we can actually have a conversation." Aino Minako's smile was bewitching and full of private amusement. Michiru wondered if she can sense Neptune within her subconscious, for the smile seemed to suggest that she was laughing at a very personal joke.

Michiru put a finger to her lips, fainting thoughtfulness. "You know, Aino-san, I can speak Japanese just fine. So if it's more convenient for you..."

"Oh!" She looks sheepish for a moment, before quickly recovering. "I didn't even think to ask. It's alright, Kaiou-san, I speak both languages."

Michiru laughed. She was going to speak Japanese for this woman, because it seemed as though that's what her cultural heritage suggested that she should. "So, you want my assistance with a few pieces, am I right? Do you have idea what exactly you want?"

Minako reached into her desk, pulling out a large folder with numerous sticky notes and scraps of paper sticking out of it. "I'm not much with violin composition, but I do write for piano from time to time, so these are mostly written for piano. I thought that we could adapt them..."

Michiru leaned forwards as the folder fell open and the younger woman began to page through the scraps with bits of music and lyrics scribbled all over them. This was far more like her own work space; essentially vomit in the form of inspiration. She could see little bits of some of the songs by Minako that she herself knows, as well as many that she's never seen before.

"There are some waltz pieces that I've put together..." Minako muttered almost to herself as she searched. She laughed triumphantly and held up a small bundle of actual sheet music. "I've never written something like this before, so I could be completely off-base on the timing..." She offered the papers to Michiru with a grin.

Michiru took the papers and Neptune let out a low whistle from inside her mind. If Michiru had known how to glare at the entity within her mind, she would have, for she didn't need the distraction right now. She knew what Aino Minako was doing, and it made her smile a little bit.

She recognized the tune almost instantly and hums a few bars to herself, these are songs from the past life. "These are love songs, ne?" She said quietly. Venusian if she remembered correctly, and some of the most passionate that existed; Michiru wondered just who's heart this girl was trying to win.

Aino Minako looked taken aback. "Well, I guess you could call them that. They're more dances than anything else..." Her eyes were wide, as though she wasn't expecting Michiru to see right through her. It was almost reassuring to know that the Outer Senshi still have a one-up on even the 'fearless leader' of the Inner Senshi.

Michiru smiled and set the papers down on the desk in front of them. "I would be more than happy to help you adapt these," she said.

Inside her mind, Neptune smiled. This was going to be a fun adventure.

END PART ONE


	11. Chapter 11

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: So I was talking Sailor Moon with my friend Midnight, and we were bitching about the general lack of PGSM outers fic. So we decided to write one. Enjoy.

When one is speaking Japanese, there is a tendency to trail off when one is uncertain or about to say something rude or negative that might be offensive to the listener. While I usually hate using '...' in stories, as there's so many other ways to express that particular part of speech, I've decided to include it simply because it actually makes sense to have them there. So don't mind them, there's a reason for them.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

For the first time in her life, Tsukino Usagi did not wait for the domestic release of Aino Minako's latest album. There was a six month advertising campaign going strong in Japan before the actual album was released and Usagi was sick of waiting for the new material. She bit the bullet one day and logged into Mamoru's computer and ordered it off of an English website, finally happy that she'd convinced herself to do fix the problem that she'd been complaining about since she'd first heard from the singer herself about the delayed release.

Mamoru was quiet when she said that she'd ordered the CD and listened to it with her when she first got it, gathered around the karaoke machine at the crown with Makoto and a rather embarrassed-looking Ami. Rei was busy and wouldn't come, but Usagi had told her that she simply _had _to hear the album at some point, for it was one of Minako's best. Rei's response was to shrug and say that Minako would probably send her a copy of it as soon as it came out in Japan and she had no real qualms with waiting, unlike some people.

Usagi didn't understand how Rei could still have the emotional range of a tea kettle, but while she'd opened up with some things, it was far better to simply leave all mention of Aino Minako outside of conversation if you wanted to really talk to Rei. Mentioning the idol, as always, made her clam up and get standoffish.

Usagi thought that it was rather adorable, really. They were such good friends to each other, but they would never, _ever_ admit it.

After everyone had parted , Usagi pulled out her cell phone and flipped through her contacts until she found the correct number. She had to be careful with that number, for she knew that she could get into a lot of trouble if anyone found out that she had the personal cell phone number of Aino Minako herself, despite it being listed in her phone, as it was with all of the former senshi, as 'Venus'. Rei had programmed the number into the phone so long ago now that Usagi had simply grown accustomed to it being like that. She felt no need to change it, even if they were no longer senshi. She hit the 'send' button after a moment's consideration and waited as the call connected. Minako was in Japan somewhere, she knew, so she would not have to worry about speaking English to anyone. She smiled and waited.

"Hello?" A tired-sounding voice said in English. There was a brief moment of panic where Usagi thought that she might have dialed the wrong number, but then she realized, as she always did, that it was Minako who had answered the phone.

"Minako-chan!" Usagi said happily, "It's Usagi!" She wasn't shouting, so much as talking excitedly; for she knew that Minako's work schedule was nothing to frown at and that the idol was most likely exhausted. She'd been in Japan for promotions of the new album for the past two weeks, but so far, none of them had gotten to see her, because of the hectic nature of the idol's appearance schedule.

"Usagi-chan," Minako's tone turned suddenly happy and much more awake than it had been when she answered. Usagi wondered just how much happiness she'd had in the past few months since they'd last seen her at Christmas. "How are you?"

"We're all good here," Usagi nodded into the phone. "We just got your new album; I ordered it from Europe when I heard that there was a release delay..."

Minako laughed. "I thought that you might, and I was going to send you a copy, but my manager caught me as I was doing it and yelled at me." She paused for a minute, "Did you like it? I tried something a little different."

Usagi frowned slightly, for normally Aino Minako's manager was the least of their problems when it came to friendship, mostly because the man had no spine to speak of. She cradled the phone to her ear, "Yes, very much, Minako-chan." She sighed quietly, "Your music always brings back memories for me."

The new album was a compilation with a British classical violinist named Michiru Kaiou, if Ami's translation of the CD booklet was to believed, and it was so far the first step away from straight-up pop for Minako. Usagi thought that the album was very good, but she liked the 'classic' Aino Minako songs, like 'C'est la Vie' more than the content of this CD, the presence of someone else on the album seemed to make the very sound of the music sound very different.

The music was haunting, love songs that Usagi would have recognized anywhere. These were songs from the past life, they had to be, for there was no way that something completely new would sound so familiar to her otherwise.

Minako's tone turned sharp, "Good memories or bad ones?" There was a bit of guilt in her voice, and Usagi found herself tripping over her words to try and right that fact. She could never make the idol feel bad; the way that Rei seemed to have an uncanny knack for doing, and it was just in poor taste.

"Oh, good memories, Minako-chan!" She said hurriedly, laughing nervously. "Really good ones of dances and masked balls, I liked them a lot."

Minako's smile could be heard in her tone. "That's what I was intending, Princess," she said cryptically.

"Don't call me that, that's all in the past now." Usagi said quietly. It could stay in the past for all she cared, really. She wanted nothing to do with the fact that all of her friends, even now, she guessed, would lay down their lives without a second thought for her. She didn't like being that important or that powerful. She was just Usagi, just a normal girl. She didn't' need to be a princess.

"Have you heard from the others?" Minako asked, her tone curious. Usagi guessed that she was just changing the subject, and for that, she was grateful.

"Yeah. They were all here with me earlier, well, except for Rei, but Rei never comes to these things any more..." Usagi trailed off, knowing that out of their entire circle of friends, Rei was the one that Minako cared about the most. "We're getting together later in the week for dinner at my house, Mamoru's got something going on, so it looks to be a girl's night. You're more than welcome to come if you're free."

"I'll check my schedule, Usagi, but it sounds like something I wouldn't miss for the world."

They talked for a few minutes about inconsequential things, and soon afterwards hung up with each other. Usagi tucked her phone into her pocket and stretched before grabbing her purse and heading up and out of their 'secret base'. The lights clicked off behind her and she did not notice the pale glow of an envelope appearing on the table.


	12. Chapter 12

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: When one is speaking Japanese, there is a tendency to trail off when one is uncertain or about to say something rude or negative that might be offensive to the listener. While I usually hate using '...' in stories, as there's so many other ways to express that particular part of speech, I've decided to include it simply because it actually makes sense to have them there. So don't mind them, there's a reason for them.

Also: I know that this is a lot to ask, you guys, but seriously. Could I get some honest feedback that actually helps me instead of making my review count go up? I love reviews that actually make me go 'huh' and get inspired. I've only gotten a handful of those on this fic and it's hard to write when I don't know really what you're thinking about what I wrote.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

The night was far to warm for comfort, and the incredible heat and humidity of the rainy season had not allowed for the blessed release of a cooling rain shower to cool the hot earth. Hino Rei tossed and turned on her futon; sleep did not come easily to her these days, for her waking mind was constantly filled with thoughts of the many responsibilities that came with running Hikawa Jinja. She had trouble shutting the endless chatter of her thoughts when the time for sleep finally came. The dreams once she fell asleep, however, were something that not even Rei could blame on her over-worked and sleep-deprived brain. The constant presence of whatever dark element was plaguing her resting mind was driving Rei to the point of near insanity.

She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks now, and even though her friends all told her that she looked like shit, she would not go and see anyone about her problems. She had no reason to; she knew what the root of the problem was already.

Rei opened her eyes and scowled moodily at the ceiling of her bedroom. She was too hot, sweating in her already minimal pajamas. There would be no sleep tonight, it seemed. Rei didn't know why it bothered her so much to be plagued with these dreams, she couldn't even remember then when she woke up and no amount of self-reflection and meditation could help her to recall what she'd seen. The dreams, like so many other answers to her questions, eluded her.

She shoved the covers off herself and pulled herself to her feet once more, her jaw set resolutely. She was going to get to the bottom of this. She was so sick of not being able to sleep, of not being able to think because she was so tired. The dreams had to stop, and they had to stop now. She crossed the room in two steps and headed though the long corridors of the jinja, her eyes intent on her destination.

The sacred fire still burned strongly despite the late hour, and the already warm night made the fire room far too warm for Rei to be comfortable. She didn't care, however, this was something that she was used to by now, and the heat helped to focus her concentration. She sat down before the flame and closed her eyes, pulling all her thoughts inwards and looking for something, anything, that would help to direct her to the root cause of her insomnia.

The threads of the conscious mind are not easy to follow, but Rei pushed herself forward, plunging though her fears and uncertainties of her heart. The journey was not something that she would want to repeat, for it was only in these moments of reflection that Rei thought that she might be somehow missing something in life, given the fact that she was doing the work of a much older person at the tender age of twenty-one. All Rei saw, when she looked deep within herself, were missed opportunities and second chances that she was unwilling to give.

At the center of everything, however, was a great dark presence. Rei shifted her focus to concentrate exclusively on that entity. It should not have been there, and Rei was concerned, as she had not sensed it earlier.

She tensed; her mind's walls against her memory of these events were crumbling under her resolve.

_The darkness was suffocating. Rei turned to the right, moving in a slow circle as she started out into the desolate landscape before her. Death was everywhere, the scent of it, the very feeling of souls being ripped from their bodies clung to this place. Rei shivered, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim red light that provided the only spark of illumination to this dead world._

She was looking at the city, or what had once been the city. A great wave of destruction moved towards her from the center of the city and Rei could hear the cries of her comrades, falling in battle around her.

She tried to gather her power together, to attack, to defend herself against this great evil. Nothing happened and Rei fell to her knees, staring listlessly up at the sky. She knew, and yet she didn't know, that she was dying. Everyone was dying around her. Her mind flickered to life once more, desperately trying to push herself upwards.

She had to save her, she had to!

"The Silence is approaching, young Mars." A voice spoke though the gloom of Rei's impending death. "The fate of the world again rests on the princess and her senshi, you must find the talismans - they alone can stop the destruction."

Rei jerked, her body falling backwards against the Fire Room floor. She hissed quietly and righted herself with an angry glare at the fire. It seemed as though the answers were as cryptic as ever.

She would have to tell someone about this vision, especially if it was the source of her insomnia. Rei did not like the idea that they might have to fight once more, for she was perfectly happy to put the senshi business behind her once and for all. There were too many things that Rei wanted to forget about that time, and mentioning them to anyone of her friends would simply serve to further complicate the already complex series of mores that existed within their friends group when it came to talking about the past.

Rei closed her eyes. She didn't want to call _her_ despite the fact that she might have the answers that Rei needed. She hated being dependent on that infuriating woman for interpretation of every single sliver of information that she'd ever managed to glean from the dreams of the past life and of their mission as sailor senshi. It made her feel weak.

Rei hated feeling weak.

They were going to be together at Usagi's for dinner tomorrow night; anyway, Rei would talk to Minako then.


	13. Chapter 13

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: When one is speaking Japanese, there is a tendency to trail off when one is uncertain or about to say something rude or negative that might be offensive to the listener. While I usually hate using '...' in stories, as there's so many other ways to express that particular part of speech, I've decided to include it simply because it actually makes sense to have them there. So don't mind them, there's a reason for them.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Aino Minako hung up her cell phone and turned to smile serenely at the slightly taller, curly-haired woman that was standing by the door. She allowed herself to switch easily into the English language, as she usually did when speaking to the woman that she'd worked with for nearly two years on her most recently CD release. While they both spoke the other's native language, Minako thought that it was polite to attempt to communicate in Michiru Kaiou's native language, as no one else was doing that for her here. "I'm sorry, Michiru, but I've got a dinner meeting tonight. Can I take a rain-check on the final production meeting?"

Michiru put her finger in her mouth as though she was nervous about something. "I suppose, but you're cutting it really close, Minako." She crossed her arms and frowned slightly. Minako wondered what exactly it was bothering her so much that she would act so uncharacteristically antsy. "We're going to promote this thing next week and we still have yet to fully finalize what exactly we're doing with some of the material."

Minako sank back down into her chair. "I know that you don't like it here." She said quietly. She understood why Michiru wanted to push the meetings forward as planned, and she understood why it was so vitally important for the two of them to be on the same page as they got ready for the Japan tour. "And I know that you're sacrificing a lot to be here with me for this tour, but I have friends here. _Real_ people that I see barely once a year because of my schedule."

The curly-haired woman shook her head. "I know that you want to see them, and I totally understand." She looked a little nervous for a minute, making Minako wonder just what it was that she was thinking. Usually, Minako was good at reading people, but Michiru Kaiou was a closed book, and had been since day one of their business relationship. "I've never done a tour in Japan, just a few concerts. You can understand then, if I seem a little bit antsy to make sure that I have all the details worked out perfectly well ahead of time." She grinned at Minako, "Since I need to plan out my own time to see my friends."

Minako laughed. "Of course."

They parted ways some two hours later, after Minako had taken the time to actually sit down with Michiru and explain to her some of the more complicated aspects of what happened when she was on tour to Michiru. Their concerts were going to be interesting, to say the least, as Minako could not shake the sensation that Michiru was watching her every movement as if she was waiting for something. Minako had not experienced a feeling like that since she'd found herself being stalked by Hino Rei – Sailor Mars – all those years ago. What was Michiru waiting for?

Minako was not sure that she wanted to know.

She paused in the studio's bathroom and pinned her hair up into something that could be called a loose bun, if one wanted to really stretch the definition of what a 'bun' was. Really, Minako had just piled her hair on top of her head and pinned it place. This was how she blended into the crowd these days, and she wanted to make sure that it still worked. Aino Minako never wore her hair up like this, and with a pair of sunglasses and a hat, no one would look at her twice.

And if they did, she would simply respond that the real Aino Minako had a much nicer figure than she did. It usually got even the most persistent fans off of her back.

Blending into a crowd was something that she did well. She collected her purse and checked herself one more time in the mirror.

Rei would probably say that she looked like a tramp when she arrived at Usagi's apartment.

_She can say what she wants, I haven't ridden the subway in_ ages. Minako thought with a contented smile. From inside her purse, Artemis rolled his eyes up at her and she winked at him.

He always was a little too paranoid for his own good, but Minako was not about to risk talking to him in such a public place. She'd gotten sick of getting written up in the tabloids as being insane due to the intense conversations that she seemed to have with herself and had told Artemis that he really shouldn't talk when they were out in public. It was bad for their image, and as much as she valued their friendship, she did not like being called insane by everyone who knew her professionally. Even Michiru (fairly eccentric, if Minako did say so herself) had given her odd looks the first time that Minako had rounded on Artemis after a particularly snide comment he'd made about her choice of subject matter for this new album.

Still, Minako loved Artemis and he loved her. It was just part of their relationship to be just a little bit foolish with each other.

She took the train and was shockingly left alone. It was the five o'clock rush and no one was bothering to look at anything other than their newspapers and cell phones as they rushed to get home after a long day's work. The crush of people all around her was not something that Minako had experienced in a long time, and she relished the sensation of being completely alone in such a public place.

Minako smiled broadly as she stepped off of the train at Usagi's station and made her way out of the station. This was really where she was going to have to be careful, and the sound of quickly running feet behind her made her skin prickle. She knew who it was, almost instinctively, and she plastered her best smile onto her face as she turned to face her would-be stalker.

"Rei." She said. She would have said 'Mars' or something else that was sure to get on the former fire senshi's nerves, but there was something about the way that the woman looked at her that made her pick to simply call the woman by her given name.

"Minako," the other woman panted out. "Need – to talk to you."

Minako raised an eyebrow and waited for the winded woman to continue.

Rei straightened herself up and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She looked nervous, Minako noticed, and adorably anxious. "Last night I had a vision."

Suddenly, the world turned very serious. Minako, falling into the mode of leader and Sailor Venus almost without a second thought, grabbed Rei's elbow and pulled her into an alley way where they would not be disturbed. "What did you see, Mars?" she demanded.

Was this what Artemis had been so worried about, the new threat that might come at some time and threaten their very way or life? In the past life, Mars Reiko had always been talented at reading the future in flame and that ability had saved Minako's life more times than she cared to remember. She always trusted those visions, even if she was not at all ready to accept that they might be, once more, called into battle.


	14. Chapter 14

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: sorry for the delay, i had exams.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Tsukino Usagi looked at her clock and scowled, wondering where her friends could be. Both Rei and Minako had promised that they'd come to the dinner party, but as the clock slowly ticked past the appointed hour, the only thought that was present in Usagi's mind was how they both had forgotten.

"They wouldn't forget, would they?" She asked herself quietly as she moved though the kitchen, checking on the rice and trying to keep the worry down. Minako, even if she wasn't able to make it, would have called, and Rei would be sure to be there if for no other reason than to make sure that Usagi hadn't managed to burn down Mamoru's apartment.

The very thought of Rei making a comment like that made Usagi pout, because she simply couldn't stand the fact that all her friends had no faith in her ability to cook. She had not set anything on fire in months, and the food was getting better. It was now, according to Mamoru, who was usually as honest as Rei when it came to these things, mostly palatable.

"They didn't forget," Makoto said from the stove where she supervised the curry. Usagi had let her cook it for fear of it burning in some strange and new way that she hadn't protected against. "Rei called me as she was leaving. She sounded rushed." Makoto glanced at the clock on the wall as well and scowled. "The traffic's pretty bad right around now, she'll be here, Usagi."

Usagi worried her lip a little bit more and turned her attention back to Makoto. Ami was perched on the countertop browsing the newspaper with interested eyes and Usagi knew better than to interrupt the young doctor while she was reading.

_Where could they be?_

_-_

Minako leaned against the wall of the alleyway, not caring that her shirt was getting positively filthy with all of the grime caked against it. Rei paced in front of her, describing the vision she'd had in detail. Her tone was that of a soldier reporting to a superior officer, and Minako wondered if Rei even realized what she was doing. Minako had never preyed on that reflex before, but it was useful for getting information out of Rei when the other girl would have clammed up in a normal conversation.

"So what you're saying is that you're seeing this vision of our deaths," Minako said quietly, folding her arms across her chest. "The new threat is the oncoming silence?"

Rei nodded, biting her lip, "I don't know what they mean by talismans, are they an article from the past life?"

Minako wanted to say that she knew, she wanted to say a lot of things, but they could not transform, they were just civilians dimly aware of the next threat to the city. The talismans were never spoken of in her memories of the past – and she knew that no one else would remember them if she asked. She decided that shrugging would be the best action to take, as it wouldn't let Rei know how confused she felt by this new threat.

She'd always know – on some level – that they would have to fight once more. She'd been bracing herself, waiting desperately for an excuse to get back into the big scheme of things. She wanted to fight. She was sick of not being able to do anything.

This time, they could fight together.

"We can't transform, Reiko, there's no reason for us to involve ourselves," Minako said curtly. She pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards the end of the alleyway. She pushed her sunglasses back into place on her face and glanced over her shoulder, "Don't worry about the threat too much, I'm sure that if we're needed we will find away to fight."

She stepped out into the light, "Usagi is waiting."

Rei hurried forward to follow her.

-

Kaiou Michiru was not amused. She hated being in Japan, but Aino Minako had run off and left her completely alone at the studio where Minako kept her offices. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the number of the hotel where she and Haruka were staying, hoping that the other woman would be home and willing to listen to her woes.

"I don't like it here." She muttered to herself as she listened to the dial tone. Phone numbers in Japan were so complicated, so unlike what she was used to back in London. They were even worse in America, according to Haruka, but Michiru had never been, so she didn't think that she should judge.

"Hello?" Haruka's voice answered in English, and Michiru brightened. She hadn't spoken that much English since she got here, and it was nice to actually speak a language that didn't make her twitch with annoyance.

"It's me, Haruka." She said quietly. "Aino has given me the slip and I need something to do."

"Do you want to patrol?" Haruka drawled, and Michiru could picture her reclining against the large windows of the hotel, her hair probably still damp from a shower. "We don't know this city very well, and if the attacks are truly starting here, we need to know the area like the back of our hands."

"Like Aino Minako does?" Michiru laughed. She cradled the phone against her ear with her shoulder and shook her head. "Haruka, she took the subway to her friend's place. The subway. She's an international pop icon, what is she doing giving herself paparazzi fodder like that?"

Haruka's shrug could be heard in the gentle sound of cloth moving up and down against her clothing. "I don't know. They make 'em different in Japan, that much is for sure."

Michiru laughed, "True."

"So…" Haruka added, "Dinner?"

"And then a nice _walk."_ Michiru agreed. They'd patrol the city for a while, learning the layout and how to blend in.

They would carry out what Pluto asked of them. When they'd left for Japan, Setsuna had cornered them and told them that the inner senshi did not have their henshin – that they were powerless to fight against the oncoming silence at the moment.

They would have to babysit the princess.

Michiru tugged on a curl that had fallen loose from her ponytail. It extended and she twirled it around her fingers.

What would she be like? The princess of the white moon?


	15. Chapter 15

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: Things are starting to pick up.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

The evening soon turned dark, and the coolness of the air did little to alleviate the heat of the day. Michiru Kaioh made her way slowly through the thinning crowd on the sidewalks as she and Haruka went though the practiced motions of learning the lay of the land. They were not in senshi form, they were simply walking, talking, and enjoying themselves.

Part of knowing the place where you're forced to relocate is having companionship, and Michiru was already finding herself forced to teach the rather culturally illiterate Haruka a thing or two about how to get by in Japan. As it was, Haruka was insulting almost everyone she met with her lack of manners and knowledge of the more formal aspects of Japanese. Her grandmother had taught her only so much until her completely British-raised parents rebelled against the old ways and decided that their daughter shouldn't learn any more of the language.

It was a shame, really.

"Look," Haruka said quietly, pointing across the street to where a group of women stood talking outside of a karaoke parlor. "Isn't that your lost costar?"

Michiru placed a finger to her lips, thinking. It did look like Aino Minako, but from a distance, you'd never be able to tell it was the idol. "She's not my costar, Haruka. I'm much more of support aspect for this latest tour."

Haruka shrugged. "It is her, right?"

She nodded, and Michiru did not add that she could not fathom why Aino Minako was out in such a public place. The people she was with seemed to know her, one of them being the girl that Michiru had seen in London, nearly two years ago now. "It's good to know that she has friends, when you think about it."

"So many kids these days get into show business and completely lose themselves to it. Its good thing that she's got friends she can trust." Haruka agreed, she offered Michiru her arm, "Now, I believe that we had a date with a rather large park."

Michiru giggled, and took Haruka's arm, leaning into the taller woman as they headed down the street together.

-

"So you guys are saying that Rei-chan had a vision of a potential threat?" Kino Makoto's eyebrows were high on her forehead as she leaned against a streetlamp. This was not the best place for such a conversation, but all of them knew better than to talk about this sort of thing around Usagi. The princess was just getting used to the fact that she was a princess and would someday become queen.

Rei nodded, "I didn't mention it to Usagi because I don't want her to worry." She glanced over at Minako, who gave her the slightest of nods. "I think we should make sure that it's a creditable threat before we say anything to her."

Looking up from her watch, the mostly silent member of their group nodded. She slid her shirtsleeve back down over her watch and looked up at the rest of her friends. "I don't think we should involve ourselves. We have no powers any more." Ami looked from Rei to Minako and then over towards Makoto, the pain in her eyes clearly visible to her friends.

Rei's eyes narrowed, for they had to tread carefully around Ami sometimes. They all still remembered what had happened the last time they'd allowed any of their ranks to fall apart. They'd almost lost Usagi then too.

"Ami-chan," Minako began. She looked troubled and Rei almost instinctively moved closer to her. It was painful to see them like this, with dissent within the ranks of the inner senshi. Rei would not have it. She missed being able to function as a team and being able to see her friends all the time. "We have to defend the princess. That is the only reason we were reborn, so that we don't fail as we did in the past."

"That can't be all we're here for," Makoto protested. "We're not even senshi any more, how can we protect her?"

Rei closed her eyes; she didn't want to admit this, especially not in front of Minako. "Don't tell me, Mako-chan, that you thought that we were through with this senshi business?" She folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "If the incident three years ago told us anything, it is that we are the final line of defense before our princess. We have to defend her with our lives if necessary."

"Rei-chan," Ami frowned. She pushed her glasses up her nose and didn't meet Rei's expectant stare when she spoke again. "I… need time to think about this."

Makoto shoved her hands into her pockets and scowled back at Rei, "Me too."

They walked off in separate directions, leaving Rei and Minako standing in the middle of a crowded street.

"Reiko, I didn't know that you…" Minako started.

Rei held up a hand, "How could it not be true, Minako? We had a mission, all those years ago, to save the planet. How could Usagi not somehow ascend to someday be the queen of earth?" She looked at Minako then, staring at her hard. "How could you not tell us that we would be called again?"

"I thought it better… to think of the peace we'd been granted as a way of putting our lives back together," Minako sighed, "After what happened, it seemed like a good idea to keep that detail to myself."

Rei sighed, "I wish you hadn't done that, Mina. A little warning before this happened would have been nice."

Minako shrugged.

"I'll walk you home," Rei said quietly. "Cutting though the park will be quicker."

"Oh, Reiko, so gallant!"

-

Michiru sensed the youma almost instantly when she and Haruka entered the part. It was a different feel from the ones that she had encountered in London, even after she and Haruka and teamed up. The sense was evil, like something that she had only ever dreamed about.

This was the real enemy.

She gripped Haruka's hand as they moved quickly through the park. They were following their senses now, and were sure to get lost on their way out of the park. Michiru's mind was on the present, however, and she was mentally preparing herself for a difficult battle.

They heard a shout and then another, followed by several flashes of light. Michiru's eyes narrowed. "I thought Pluto said that they were unable to transform."

If the inner guard was able to transform then they would be hard pressed to actually complete their mission in the same sort of fashion. The inner guard cared only for the safety of the princess – and if the princess caught wind of what they were doing…

Michiru shuttered.

Haruka nodded and their pace quickened.

The scene before them was like something out of a nightmare. They reached the clearing in the trees were a quiet fountain bubbled and several benches were scattered. It was a perfect romantic hideaway, and the perfect place for an ambush. Three bodies were already downed, laying prone on the ground, strange objects floating above them.

Across the clearing, Aino Minako was standing protectively in front of another three people, a single finger pointed firmly in the direction of the monster that was attacking the clearing. She said something quietly and a beam of the same golden light that they'd seen earlier cut across the clearing and into the monster's vulnerable underbelly.

Haruka let out a low whistle. "Powerful one, that girl."

Michiru called out her henshin quietly, not paying attention to Haruka's comment. She had to help the young idol.


	16. Chapter 16

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: woooo fight.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Aino Minako could not believe herself. She and Rei had walked straight into a fight. This was _so_ typical of them. Despite all their words to the contrary, they'd basically painted targets on their heads and waltzed into a fight that they had no hoped of participating in. They could not transform, they were basically useless as senshi.

Rei had split up with her somewhere in the chaos and Minako was not sure where she'd gone off to – instead choosing to focus her attention on the three scared people that she had stepped protectively in front of.

The youma, if it could even be called that, roared loudly as Minako stubbornly stood her ground. She raised her hands, not really knowing what she was going to do. She could not force her own actions, and she certainly could fight in her present state.

She didn't know what she was doing. Rei would ask her if she was trying to get herself killed, and she wouldn't have an answer. She just had to protect these people, that was her mission, it always had been. She was a Sailor Senshi, leader of the princess' inner guard and the wielder of the sword that slain Beryl in the past life. She was not afraid of a singly youma trying to destroy her peace.

She felt the power build in her finger tip, as she was long-accustomed to in senshi form, and watched, shocked, as it began to glow.

Aino Minako knew what this was, and she knew how to use it to her advantage. "Crescent beam," she whispered, watching as the golden light flew towards the youma with the accuracy that she'd always prided herself on.

The monster roared, falling back as the attack cut into the soft tissue it's under arm. Minako frowned, and glanced behind her. The people that she'd decided to protect were starting at her with a mixture of awe and terror.

"What are you waiting for?" she demanded, frowning slightly at the fact that they'd not yet fled. "Run!"

"Minako!" Rei's voice sounded so distant, and Minako turned back to the battle ground after the idiots finally started to pick themselves off the ground and run off through the park, hopefully for help. The youma loomed large in her vision and she raised her hands to protect herself once more.

_So careless,_ she thought, praying that this would not be the end of her.

Flames from nowhere caught the creature from behind and it spun as it fell, kicking up dirt and grass.

"What were you thinking?" Rei was by her side in a second, an angry expression on her face. "Since when do you turn away from a battle?!" Her expression softened as Minako grabbed hold of her sleeve, pulling her out of the way of the flailing monster.

"It's nothing," she said, "I had to get the people out."

Rei nodded. Minako was glad that Rei saw it her way, for explaining that even though they protected the princess, they had a responsibility to the people of this planet as well was not something that she particularly wanted to do. Rei would understand. She always did, even if Minako never really gave her enough information to make an informed decision.

"Do you think we can transform," Minako asked, staring at the youma. "We can't defeat it like this."

Rei shrugged and looked to her wrist. The bracelet was still there, and if it had any power, they were about to find out. "Mars Power!"

"Venus Power!" Minako felt strange calling out the phrase, for she'd always used the more advanced transformation sequence when fighting alone or with Rei, simply allowing herself to slip in and out of senshi form as was the way of their power. Ami and Makoto had never grown into that stage of their power, but Rei had started to before everything had gone to hell and she had…

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She could bring the henshin back, if not though anything else but though sheer force of will.

It would not come.

"Perhaps, young ones, it would be better if you left the fighting to the adults."

There were two people across the clearing, dressed like senshi.

Minako inhaled sharply, she knew who they were, and their presence was hardly welcome.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Rei glanced, confused, in her direction. Minako flashed her a slight frown and shook her head. Now was not the time to be asking questions.

The shorter of the two senshi folded her arms across her chest and looked annoyed. Minako felt her own hackles raise as she tried to not lash out and somehow say something that would make herself look like a fool. As the leader of the inner senshi, she was supposed to not let something like this attack happen – she was supposed to be _ on top_ of these things.

"You are not allowed to be here, you know that, your mission is on the outer rim." Minako tried again. They had been reborn then, like the inner guard.

"Our mission is of no concern to you, Venus." The taller one said in harsh Japanese. Her accent was different than any that Minako had heard in a long time – she probably didn't live in Japan. "Your mission is to protect the princess and stay out of our way."

"Uranus-" the shorter senshi began, but her face was just as hard. "None of these are what we're looking for."

"Let's go then." Uranus said shortly. She said something and the monster disappeared in a shower of brownish light.

_World Shaking_. Minako remembered that attack well.

Minako's fist shook as she resisted the urge to call out after them. She would not stoop to that level. She was far above their petty methods of exercising control over her and the rest of her team.

Rei rounded on Minako as soon as the two senshi were out of ear shot. "Who were they?" she demanded, her face angry.

"Allies, Reiko," Minako said wearily, "Sailor Senshi from the past life. I don't know what they are now, or if they're even on our side."


	17. Chapter 17

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: Minako's Dilemma

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Aino Minako wondered how much time she had before the truth would come spilling out – to Rei at least. Ami and Makoto she could keep in the dark, given that they both were reluctant to accept, yet again, that their current reality was indeed their destiny. She wished that they would just _remember_, and that the weight of the burden resting on her shoulders alone would be lifted.

She was supposed to be Usagi's friend in this life – not her protector, but the weight of that responsibility was such that she sometimes wished that the others were aware of the very fine line they walked between guardian and companion. The inner guard had not been created to be as useless and powerless as Minako was sure they all now felt. The clearing was in shambles, debris of trees destroyed during the fight and by Senshi Uranus' astonishingly powerful attack littered the ground and Minako knew that they would have to get out of there quickly if they wanted to avoid a lot of unwanted questions.

She turned to Rei, who was inspecting one of the fallen civilians and cleared her throat. "They'll be fine, Mars. We must go." There was an insistence in her voice that Minako didn't recognize, for it was not the authoritative leader voice that she was not putting on, but rather the voice that said, quite clearly, that she had no idea what the hell was going on and probably wouldn't, any time soon. It was times like this, when a twist was thrown her way that she desperately needed to retreat, to regroup and figure out her next move.

Aino Minako was a plotter and a schemer, despite her outward appearance; she knew how to plan far better than anyone else in their company. She was the leader for this reason, and now she desperately needed to retreat and figure out what in the name of the ancient gods was going on.

Minako honestly expected Rei to put up a fight, but the dark-haired woman nodded once and rose immediately to her feet. They fell into step once again, taking a more circuitous route out of the park than Minako had perhaps intended. They had to be gone before the cameras showed up, and Rei's silence meant that she was probably mulling over the same tidbits of information that Minako herself was contemplating.

"They were in my vision," Rei said as they crossed the street and headed uptown to where Minako was staying. Her tone was grave and she wouldn't meet Minako's gaze as she spoke. "They did nothing to stop this." The accusation was there, the questioning of if these Senshi were indeed allies.

Somehow, Minako wasn't all that surprised. Mars' visions were almost never off – and if this was a continuing manifestation of the past life in the present, Minako was all for it. With the visions could come the memories, but she was a fool if she hoped for that. She's long-since come to terms with the fact that the rest of her comrades in arms would probably never remember the events of the past life. They would never understand why Minako found herself treating the princess with the veneration and respect deserving of a noble when her own fame and influence far exceeded that of Tsukino Usagi's in this life.

It disgusted the others, but it was a force of habit that Minako still could not shake. A habit born of a different time.

She wondered how much she should tell Rei, as Mars was her supposed second-in-command. It would be better to be honest this time around, at least until they recovered their henshin and were able to fight once more.

"They are forbidden." She began; her voice hushed and quiet. They were walking through a crowded street, and you never really could know who was listening in. "Guardians of the outer limits of Queen Serenity's kingdom, and never seen in the royal court."

Rei was silent and contemplative, her face an uncertain pensive mask that Minako found herself unable to look away from. Mars Reiko was never like this, for she had a confidence that Rei had yet to find. "Why are they here then?"

"I'm sure the queen had some purpose for their reawakening, but it is not for us to know." Minako was parroting lines that Artemis had fed her long ago when she began to question what had happened to the manifestation of Usagi's past life that had nearly destroyed the planet. "Our job is to protect the princess."

Rei nodded once, and Minako found herself strangely grateful that Rei had chosen, just this once, not to argue. She usually craved the conflict with her second in command, as it was far easier for her to see situations in different lights when there was a second, very forceful, point of view being constantly interjected into her line of thinking.

"Should we tell them?" Rei asked, her voice faltering ever so slightly.

Minako bit her lip, knowing Rei was not going to like what she was going to say. She couldn't tell Usagi – at least not until she had more information about what was happening. She didn't want to burden the princess, and she did not want to be the bearer of bad news. Usagi had given herself to give them all a second chance at life – and Minako could never forget the look of absolute horror on Usagi's face when she first remembered what the Princess had done all those years ago.

"Not everything," she said, keeping her voice even. "I don't want to say anything to Usagi until we know more about what these monsters are looking for. The others can be told because they'll know regardless." She smiled at Rei, "You're a terrible liar."

Rei frowned, "Usagi-chan shouldn't be kept in the dark."

Minako sighed, she had known this was coming, she really did. "I will tell her, Reiko – I just can't do it yet – I can't bring her back into fighting. I just can't."


	18. Chapter 18

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: The main problem of the henshin is beginning to look like it will get resolved.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

The Crown karaoke parlor had remained largely unchanged in the years that had followed their battle, and Aino Minako still felt as though she was trespassing on a scared place when she stepped through the door and flashed a badge that she hadn't used in years at the eyes of the boy at the counter. While it was after midnight, Minako wasn't bothering to hide who she was – she had more important things on her mind and in the eyes of many of Japan's youth she was almost a has-been until her latest CD was released domestically next month.

It was late at night, and Minako had finally managed to slip away from her management and Michiru Kaiou to be alone and finally have a chance to think. There was just something about her that set Minako on edge – despite the fact that they worked so well together.

Minako was nervous, her newest CD was a departure from her previous work, and her die-hard fans might not like the soulful music that she had pleaded with manager and record label to produce.

Still, this issue paled in comparison to the greater problem that lay before her.

Attacks.

In broad daylight – and far brutal than ever before.

She was terrified. They couldn't transform, and the forbidden Senshi from the past life were dispatching of these enemies without a care for the human life involved in their battles. Senshi Venus did not back down from a fight and even now the dread was mounting. This was just like the last time they had to fight – only now they were together and powerless, instead of simply leaderless and alone.

She couldn't let her team down again. They had to protect the princess, to protect her innocence from the violence that was on the verge of breaking out.

Her lips moved silently as she pushed open the door to the secret room in the basement of the Crown. The air was still here, a place to think and to meditate. To pray, if she so desired.

Aino Minako was not religious. She liked the ceremony of Christian churches and loved Japanese festivals. Yet this prayer was to an ancient patron goddess – one of whom she had once been considered an avatar, for understanding. She had promised herself when she lay in a hospital bed years ago that she wasn't going to fall back to the old ways that she had remembered from the past life. Those gods were long dead and could not help her now.

But to ask for power, to be able to take on the mantle of Senshi Venus once again, seemed like a reasonable breach of her resolve.

She had come to this place, where the Senshi had gathered during the last war, because it was the seat of their power. Usagi was their queen, she just didn't know it yet – and potentially never would.

Yet Aino Minako had to fix this before it got out of hand.

In the past life, the guardians of the outer rim had been banned from the Moon's court because their duties were so extreme and important. There simply wasn't time for them to be bothered with petty and oftentimes ceremonial appearances on the Moon when their duties lay so far away from the center of the kingdom. Venus' consciousness told her that they should not be trusted, because their presence alone indicated that they had an agenda that did not jive with that of the Inner Guard and the princess.

Minako was inclined to go along with Venus on this, but her need to formulate a plan, to figure out how they were going to fight if they could not transform any more, was far more pressing.

She pulled a chair from the table at random, slumping into the pale red frame with a weariness that she had not felt in years.

How had she managed to do that? How had she managed to use her powers without the transformation? Minako looked down at her hands, her expression puzzled. There was no reason that they should be anything less than powerless mortals at this particular point in time. The future was something entirely different all together, but that was years from now and Minako didn't even want to think that far into the future.

Her thoughts were reserved for the present at the moment.

Between her fingers, Minako's eyes caught sight of a cream colored envelope laying on the tale. She leaned forward and picked it up with cautions fingers. There was no address, just a series of marks in a hash-mark pattern that Minako did not recognize. It was like a code, but the markings were unlike anything that she had ever seen in this life.

Using one manicured nail, she slit open the envelope along the top and pulled out the contents. Unfolding the thin sheets of paper she nearly dropped them.

Suddenly, she recognized the language, and was kicking herself for not seeing it sooner. Venusian had several forms of written text – this one among the oldest and rarest, a cypher that she would have to decode. What was this doing here?

There was something about the recent events that made Minako want to cancel her tour and spend the time getting to the bottom of this. She would not have the past interfering with Usagi's chance to be happy. With all of their chances to be happy. It simply was not something that she had planned for – fighting again.

The nursery rhyme, a remnant of a childhood long ago on Venus drifted back to her unbidden and Minako recited the words from memory as she read the letter. It detailed – at least, to an extent – the events of the past day and how exactly they were supposed to combat them.

_Senshi Venus, as the leader of my daughter's guard it is your responsibility to keep my daughter out of this conflict as best you can. The silence is coming and the danger is mounting for her existence in this life time. I cannot trust the planet into her hands once more, for the power that saves worlds, also destroys them. Please use your skill as her guardian to keep her out of this, and with this promise you will find your will to fight once more._

Aino Minako's gaze was steely as she set down the letter. Her duty was to the princess, not some ghost from her past. She would not allow herself to be dictated to, not after what had happened the last time. Even now she felt the pangs of that depressing isolation in the midst of her illness – and she felt the radiating joy at the thought of how stubborn and defiant Hino Rei had refused to let her be alone.

Minako could never express in words how grateful she was for that.

She would call Rei and tell her of this development in the morning.


	19. Chapter 19

**PGSM: The Second Story**

an: Caught with your hand in the cookie jar.

* * *

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Hino Rei slept deeply for the first time in weeks; her dreams were not plagued by the horrors of the coming silence. She was grateful for the sleep, but the thoughts that troubled even her sleeping mind were hard to combat. She was unable and unwilling to allow Venus to hide behind the decorum of the past and her perceived duty to the moon princess from so long ago. The vision of the silence had not been discussed between them when they had been together without Usagi earlier – and Rei still was not quite sure why.

She hated how Minako would hide behind the mask of the past life, even today. They were powerless shells of what they once had been, yet the former Venusian Senshi seemed far more attached to her role in the past life than the one she held today. There was something that was positively infuriating about it; as that Rei had declared that world long dead to her – spitting on its memory. It was foolish to dwell in the past as Minako did. She had gotten a lot better about it since they'd being given a second chance at life, but her reverence to Usagi and the way that she carried herself around the others was hard to miss.

Or at least it was to Rei. She'd mentioned Minako's behavior to Ami once, in passing after a particularly infuriating conversation with their leader – and Ami had not noticed anything wrong with the way that the Venusian Senshi carried herself. It was as though it was Rei's job to question everything, something she was uncomfortable with, and struggled with even now when their powers were long gone.

She hated to appear weak, but she would never admit it to anyone – least of all the infuriating woman that called herself their leader.

It wasn't as though Minako was ever around to be a leader anyway – always jet setting around the world and being hard to reach on the phone. She should be here, with them – _with me_.

Rei pushed that thought violently out of her head before it could really get going. She would never admit to anyone that she knew more than she let on about Minako's mythical past life. She knew that doing so was violating orders, and that she had a duty and a mission to fulfill that she was actively ignoring. She didn't remember the warriors that they'd seen the previous night, but she knew her fear of them. She knew what their presence implied and what it meant in terms of the safety of the princess.

She did not like this. The visions spelled a certain doom, death for all of them – _death for Minako _– no one deserved this after what they'd all been through.

Rolling over, Rei tried to will her mind quiet once more. She needed the sleep – tomorrow she had to go back to the grind of the company and the disdainful pressure to succeed.

-

The hotel hallways were silent as Michiru Kaioh crept along them and back to her room. There had been more attacks tonight, and they had once again been unsuccessful in finding the talisman that they so desperately needed to find. Her breath was still coming in shallow pants from the exertion of defeating these new enemies without Pluto – the dark skinned woman had cryptically said that she was unable to travel to Japan at the present moment. Michiru knew that there was another reason for her absence, but she thought it wise to not push the issue as Setsuna was notoriously difficult to get a straight answer out of.

She paused, her ears straining against the ringing silence of the long hallway. There, yes, there were footsteps moving quickly down the hallway towards her. Panicked, Michiru slowed her pace as she tried to think of a reasonable excuse to be out of her room, fully dressed at three in the morning. Neptune's consciousness within her own laughed as she frantically thought, telling her that she should just give up now – for a warrior would never be questioned for fighting such a battle.

The problem was, Michiru reasoned, that no one in this damn country minded their own business. They pretended like they did, but in reality, it was fake concern and the need to gossip that drove these people. She hated that – hated the feeling that she was being constantly scrutinized for no apparent reason. She knew that she had to push past it though, and simply deal with the fact that the attacks were here now, near to the princess whose kingdom she swore an oath long ago to protect.

She would guard them with her life.

_You will find the talisman and prevent the silence._

Around a bend in the corner came the very recognizable form of Aino Minako incognito. She was wearing a windbreaker and a Yankees cap pulled low over her eyes to attempt to conceal her identity – but it was no good as Michiru recognized her almost instantly.

"Can't sleep Aino-san?" She asked quietly, watching with a somewhat bemused smile as the idol jumped at the sudden break in her reverie. Michiru, despite the fact that she hated the language and the people here, found herself enjoying the subtle ways that she could tease others in this language. It was almost fitting, honestly.

Minako reached up and pulled her hat off, her hair falling down around her face as she grinned. She was shorter than Michiru, but she carried herself with the poise that the violinist only wished she possessed. "The city is far more forgiving of celebrity at night."

Okay that was cryptic.

She didn't understand the life this girl lead, and Michiru was not going to bother trying to get more of the truth out of the idol, as she had a pretty good idea what the idol had really been out doing – but it wasn't her place to question her, at least not now.

Staying away from the Inner Senshi as much as she possibly could was the best course of action that Michiru could see at the moment and she fully intended to follow it.

Still, her curiosity peaked as Minako's fist was clenched around a sheet of paper covered with a backwards and swirling lettering that looked almost like Arabic.

_Venusian_. _The girl is a fool for leaving it so openly visible._

Michiru was not aware that the princess' guard had such a clear grasp of the past life. She knew, from interacting with Minako, that there were distinct memories of the past life that the girl possessed – but to write such an ancient and complicated language was unexpected.

"Well, Aino-san, you should get some sleep and not give in to the wandering hands of the muses and their midnight mania." She gestured to the paper in Minako's hand.

The idol blinked and slipped the paper into the jacket of her windbreaker, as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Thank you, I will do just that."

-

The paper was burning a hole in her hand. She could not handle the impact of looking at it. She hated defiance, for it upset the careful balance of control that she had established in her life.

The heat in her hand built and the paper soon began to smoke – before vanishing in a puff of smoke and flames.

Aino Minako hated being told what to do. She was a good soldier, but she had promised to protect the princess and those she loved. She had promised to do a great many things that she was now leaving off for the sake of her career – for Rei – for Usagi. For the sake of having friends and people she cared about really.

In the past they had not really been able to afford that luxury.

The ashes of her orders fell from her clenched fist.

They should not have asked her to back down from a fight.


	20. Chapter 20

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Second Story**

**AN: **this story is in ebbs and flows. I can't make it come - all I get is these little scenes in my head that have to be written down. This chapter is longer, but it also deals with a serious monkey wrench in Minako's plans

* * *

_Tokyo, Summer, Present Day_

It was not supposed to happen this way, and all the parties involved knew this from the start. A normal morning, a simple walk down to the convenience store for some milk with the tune of _C'est La Vie_ on her lips; not a return to the nightmares of long ago.

Since she'd gotten married, there had been a sense in Usagi's mind of unfinished business. Their time for fighting should be long finished – she'd remade the world that way – and yet there seemed to be something that was still carried over from that time when she had lost complete control of herself. Most of the time she pushed it out of her mind and didn't think much of it. The sinking in feeling in the pit of her stomach on her way to the convenience store, however, was far too familiar for Usagi.

_Youma?_ She thought, looking around. The concern was blatantly apparent on her face and she struggled to school her features as her pace quickened. She needed to pick up some milk and that was it; this errand was really just an excuse to have a good walk before she was forced to do some of the housework that she was neglecting. Mamoru had laughed when she'd said she was going out – he'd been collecting the laundry and getting ready to start the washer. It was a nice day, their clothes would dry quickly.

Her gut twisted, and she knew that she had to get out of sight – she knew that the youma was near.

_Stand and fight_, the voice was one she knew well, intimately. One she feared and prayed that she would never have to hear again.

_Stand and fight if you don't want to die – I will give you the power._ It was a power that she never wanted to touch again. She knew it resided within her and she hated it – the power was disgusting – tainted and evil. It gave her the ability to destroy _worlds_, and it was not something that she could possibly ever want.

Or even see herself wanting.

She could not believe that she was sensing this – this here, now. So far removed from what they had fought against so damn hard. Desperate to stay alive.

If only she could be so lucky to be granted peace. Usagi closed her eyes, for it was not her duty to fight now. That time was over, and while she felt the urge to call out her henshin, she knew that it would do no good. She was powerless despite the memory that slept within her.

She hurried onwards, fear building inside of her. She had to get out of sight.

* * *

The little one was so scared – and it was shockingly easy to tell if one was as skilled at reading body language as Haruka Tenou was. The familiar prickling at the back of her neck alerted her to the pending attack far more quickly than the panicked look on the young woman's face did. Yet Haruka was intrigued, trying to figure out the angle here. How had she been able to tell that a youma was present?

She watched the girl, her hair done up in a strange style that Haruka did not recognize, as she moved down the street. Her pace had quickened as the feeling of panic swelled within her. She had to stay hidden, that was the mission – she had promised Setsuna and Michiru that they would not involve themselves with the Princess of the White Moon.

She moved with the clumsy motion of a child, but Haruka could see something underneath that exterior. Something powerful and threatening - she knew immediately what it was and the mere idea of it scared her.

They had been banned from the Queen's court, in the past life, because their mission was too grave and too important. But still, she would recognize that power anywhere. This was Princess Serenity - the one who had destroyed the planet though misguided affection once before. Uranus within Haruka could not fathom how the Inner Guard had ever managed to keep her power in check, for her aura was there, plain as day, for all to see. She didn't know how she'd missed it before - even powerless, a being as powerful as this girl apparently was could recognize the stench of the youma even without a henshin.

The girl crossed the street with her arms folded around herself as though she had caught a chill.

It would not be enough - the youma would strike soon - now.

Haruka closed her eyes and whispered her henshin. She had to protect this girl, this innocent girl.

Her princess.

It was so strange to be here, in Japan, surrounded by strangers and yet to find such a person so quickly. Michiru would not believe her luck. If they could keep away from this girl and the Inner Guard, they would be safe to carry out their mission.

Senshi Uranus knew that Aino Minako - Venus - would not do what she was told. She would not back down from this fight. Mars, by now, would have seen the doom that was spelled upon the earth.

_Had they even told the princess yet?_

The youma rose out of a manhole in the middle of the street and Uranus stepped out from her position behind a rare tree this far into the city. This one was like the one before, insect-like and foul smelling. It's many talon-like feet clicking menacingly as it pushed itself upwards and away from the protective position it held with its body half-way out of the sewer.

Almost as quickly as a smirk at an easy victory crossed Uranus' face, a dilemma grew in her heart. It was her duty to complete her mission above all other costs - but the costs certainly were not supposed to include the potential risk to the princess, now crouching behind a vending machine in the shadow of an apartment complex.

She had screamed, and the youma had heard her.

_Fuck._

Uranus pushed off the ground, her mind reeling as she tried to figure out how best to avoid the almost inevitable confrontation between the two of them now. Being airborne - so close to flying that Haruka wanted to woop with joy - gave her a view of the street that she had not seen before, she could take out this monster before it hurt anyone.

Even if it meant sacrificing a chance at a talisman.

Nothing was worth the risk to the princess.

She landed, with a grace she still was not sure how she possessed on top of a telephone pole and readied herself for her attack. She would gather the power in her hand - and charge downwards. That was sure to catch it off-guard - as it was not even aware of her presence yet.

She was never one for speeches anyway.

"Hey!" The voice - the voice from her memories, the shining moon princess - their future sovereign. What was she doing?

The princess, a fierce look of desperate determination on her face, had left her hiding place and was jumping up and down in the middle of the road, trying to get the attention of the youma - trying to drive it away from the bustling shopping center just up the road.

Was she insane?

Uranus crouched low, wondering if she should wait and watch, to see what would happen. There was power gathering in this place, that much was obvious in the way that the girl was standing, resolute in place. A look of panic on her face, but an unwavering stance and a resolute set of her chin told Uranus that this girl would not run. She stood between this monster and the humans just down the street.

The crackle of power that cut through the air turned Uranus' thoughts to a different thought process.

Could she still transform? The implications to their mission were grave if she still could.

Her eyes widened as the girl stood with her arms stretched up over her head, waving back and forth. Her lips moved in a taunt that was lost against the roar of the youma. It surged forward awkwardly as the girl backed away as hurriedly as she could. This was going to turn ugly – fast.

The attack was out of her mouth faster than she could cut it back. She should have known better, but the youma had been advancing too quickly and Haruka wasn't sure that she could trust her instincts and reaction time after this point. This girl had been prepared to fight, but whatever magic she was doing was not happening fast enough to save her life.

The orange-ish ball of Uranus' power slammed into the youma, hitting it like an uppercut to the jaw. It flew upwards and landed on its back, skidding on the pavement as Haruka pushed off of the telephone pole and landed on the ground in front of the girl.

"Run," She muttered, pushing the girl backwards and frowning at the youma before her. It had righted itself on all of its hundreds of knife-like feet, gray-green blood dripping from where Uranus' attack had cut into its flesh.

The girl's hair whipped around as she backed away. "You're a Senshi." She said quietly. "I thought…" She trailed off, her eyes widening and then narrowing shrewdly as the power that Uranus had sensed before grew even more powerful.

Suddenly Haruka was very, very afraid. Her memories of the past life were such that she remembered what had happened with the princess had felt threatened by the world around her at large. She'd destroyed it without a second thought – full of selfish and childish desire. Setsuna had not told them the full story on that encounter that much Haruka was positive of. This power was so raw, so impure, and so _different_ from anything that Haruka had ever come to associate with her scattered memories of the Moon Princess

Uranus looked from the girl to the youma and back again, the creature seemed as taken aback as she felt. She felt sick to her stomach watching as the girl's arm, limp at her side, glowed with white-hot power.

"Move out of the way." Her voice was different, harsh and business-like. There was no room for arguing with such a demand, as it was a command from her queen. Uranus backed away, her own attack a breath away if whatever was happening proved to be nothing more than a very terrifying light show.

_Michiru is going to be so mad at me._ Haruka thought bitterly as she watched as the girl drew a sword out of nothing and pointed it at the youma – watching with an almost contented smile as it exploded into a shower of sparks and sand.

The girl's power was astounding; far more than she had ever remembered – and all of this without a transformation. Uranus wanted to defiantly stand before this girl, a Lunarian sword clenched tightly in one fist and a crescent moon burning on her forehead, but protocol and a healthy fear for her life forced her to her knees.

The girl – her princess's – voice was distant when she finally spoke. "I know your face," she said quietly, releasing the power that had gathered around them in a slow exhale.

"Highness, I -" She was at a loss for words. There were so many things that she wanted to say – to proclaim her loyalty to this girl, to swear to follow her anywhere. But that was not the mission. They had to save the earth before all else. That was their duty. The talismans needed to be found – even if it meant sacrificing the life of an innocent.

Would this being – this creature of the Moon's very essence – understand that?

"Your duty is to the Outer Rim, you should not have been reborn in this life." There was a steely edge to her voice and Uranus narrowed her eyes. This was a new development. Pluto had said that they did not remember the past. Well, other than Venus, but Uranus was fairly sure that she did not count when it came to the Time Senshi's cryptic messages regarding their peers.

"We are to complete a mission - the Silence is coming, we must stop it." She said as hurriedly as she could.

"I know nothing of this threat."

Uranus swallowed, her head bowed. She hated to have to be the one to do this – this was Neptune's forte. She was not nearly as good with words. "With your forgiveness, that was our intention. We did not wish to involve you or your guard as our mission has little to do with you."

The princess's eyes narrowed. "The people of this planet concern me," she spat. She gestured to the broken-up pavement and ruptured water line that were apparently caused by Haruka's attack against the youma in order to save this girl from getting maimed and her heart crystal stolen. "Your careless use of power concerns me. Who charged you with this mission?"

Now that question Uranus could answer and would answer with eagerness. "Senshi Pluto, highness."

"I will speak to her. Please, Uranus, be more careful. Human life is precious. This is Endymion's land, turned our one sanctuary." Her eyes narrowed, "I do not tolerate threats to the balance of power and the peace I sacrificed so much to achieve."

"Highness." Uranus bowed her head once more.

The princess smiled sadly, as though she was thinking of something that deeply troubled her. "Take care of Usagi," she said quietly.

"Usagi?" Haruka asked, confused at the sudden turn in their conversation. She barely had time to catch the girl before her as she swayed and slumped into Uranus' arms.


	21. Chapter 21

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Second Story**

**AN: **Sometimes giving into old standbys helps to create a solution you did not see before.

Feedback is always appreciated. I would love to get some feedback on what I'm doing with this story.

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_Tokyo, Summer, Present Day_

She was praying again. She hated it when she sunk this low, for it was only when she was this hard off that the words even escaped her lips. Back then the her goddess would have heard her pleas for help, but Venus was an unstable and volatile planet now - the rain forests and beautiful, sweeping plains of her memories were long gone in a smolder of sulfuric destruction. The increase of seismic activity had first been Metalia's doing, back in the days of their Queen and Princess' brilliant kingdom.

_Mother Venus._ She sounded so stupid, so desperate and so pathetic. She had prayed like this so often when she was younger, afraid of what was happening to her – because of the cancer and the personal mission she had resolved to undertake in order to save the rest of them from the fate she had already seen for herself.

All she wanted was understanding – something that she did not possess in this sudden conflict that they had stumbled into. Why were the guardians of the Outer Rim alive in this lifetime? Why was everyone around her telling her to stay out of their fight despite the fact that they had to be involved? Their world was under threat, and by extension, so was the princess.

The harrowing vision that Reiko had seen for the world – the idea of them vanishing into nothingness as the entire planet was engulfed in a red light was terrifying. They crumbled, fading away into nothingness without their powers and no way to fight. She had to find a way to fight back.

Her hair falling into her eyes, Aino Minako sighed deeply. The queen's letter had told her to stay away from Neptune and Uranus. Her powers had come back without a henshin when she was threatened. She did not understand what exactly was going on – only knowing that she had been told again and again what she was not to do.

Everything that was completely antithetical to the existence she'd built for herself.

_Mother Venus, grant me understanding so that I am live the life you want me to live. I want to be your avatar in this age, as I was in the last. I want to protect these people that I have come to see as my own. I want to fight – I can fight – grant me the ability to protect my princess from this threat._

She remembered this feeling of confusion and desperation from back then too - when they had stood together watching as their home worlds crumbled from the last great stronghold and refuge of the Silver Millennium. She had hated it at that time too; Told constantly that there was no hope for her home world, for Mars, for Mercury or Jupiter. They had said that the Moon was the only stronghold left for their alliance of kingdoms, and she had believed it with all her heart until the very end.

She remembered the searing pain of Kunzite's blade against her own, pushing through her defense, though her vulnerable and damaged armor. It was a fatal wound – and she had died alone that time too.

Minako hated how no one else remembered the past - and she had given up hope that they ever would. Reiko, sometimes, when Minako allowed herself to believe such things, showed signs that she knew more than what was letting on. She hated herself even more when she allowed herself that delusion.

It was her cross to bear - the gift of memory and so little understanding that Reiko's conviction that someday Usagi would be queen of the Earth seemed an alien concept to her now. Why was it so hard a concept to grasp? They were senshi for a reason; they had a duty and a mission to protect the princess at all costs.

Minako remembered all too clearly the last time they had failed to do their duty.

She had had trouble accepting that fate too.

Inhale, Exhale. Inhale, Exhale.

_Grant me the power once more, my goddess._

The power gathered all around her, as she concentrated, cross-legged on the balcony of her hotel room looking out over the pre-dawn gray light that filtered through the Tokyo Skyline. She would start to glow soon if she wasn't careful - but the feeling of power once again was like a drug. Not since they had found the sword and had defeated Kuroki Mio had she felt this power.

Aino Minako felt invincible.

She stood, the power shimmering in the air around her as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. In the morning, before the air was clogged with the pollution of the city and a dampness still hung in the air, she could be truly at peace. "Venus Star Power," she whispered, feeling the pen in her hand for the first time in what felt like years.

Her henshin fell into place almost instantly and Venus felt like herself once more. Aino Minako was the only one of the Princess' Guard who actively embraced her identity not only as the human, but also as the reincarnated soul of a Venusian senshi that had been considered by many to be the best of her kind.

With the power buzzing all around her, she climbed up onto the balcony railing and leaned back on her heels. It was a long drop, not one that she would have attempted when she was younger. But now she was in her prime - the henshin was the one that she had had in the past. She could do anything she had done then - and better now.

She was contemplating the merits of jumping, to see if she could make it to the next building from here. It would be a slight push on her abilities, but she had her chain if anything were to go wrong. She wouldn't get hurt.

Never again.

The door behind her slid open and the quiet voice of Artemis grunted with the exertion. He pushed his way around the small opening that he'd made and stared at her with an obviously shocked expression on his feline face.

Minako knew she should have locked the door.

"Your powers are back?" He asked, his tone disbelieving. "Why?"

She understood why he was confused. He had told her long ago that they would probably never have to fight again after they had come back from the dead on Usagi's good will. He'd said the same thing after Kuroki Mio had come back and had started to meddle in their carefully constructed peace. They'd been given the second chance then too – and now it seemed that it was being threatened once more. And this time the threat seemed creditable.

Minako sighed, and stepped down from the railing, her transformation and Venus' power fading as she did so. She hadn't seen Artemis the previous evening - thinking that there was a good chance that he had spent the night with Luna. She hadn't had a chance to tell him about the attacks or what she had witnessed in the park. Rei's vision was also at the forefront of her mind as she tried to figure out where to start her explanation.

"Last night some things happened." She began, not really looking at him. She did not want to see his face as she spoke. She knew what his expression would look like, fearful and betrayed. She did not want to see that face ever again. "There was an attack in the park. Civilians, bad injuries, and a very strong youma. Mars and I - I don't even know how Artemis - we fought back. I used my abilities without transforming; she did too, but only once. I did it over and over and over."

Artemis frowned, his expression as thoughtful as a cat's could be. "How do you feel now?"

It was a strange question, considering Minako hadn't even told him about the worst of the previous evening yet. She wouldn't tell him of the orders that she'd gotten from Serenity. She was too afraid of what he might say - and she did not want his disapproval.

"I feel alright. A lot better than before..." She trailed off, thinking of how much fighting used to take out of her back then. She had had a lot on her plate then, but now her life was far less of a gigantic lie than it had been then - and being able to be somewhat honest with people had relieved so much unnecessary stress from her life that Minako wondered sometimes how she had ever managed to keep up the facade for as long as she had.

She leaned against the railing, surveying him with interest, looking to gauge his reaction. "Mars and I did not defeat the youma." She said her face as neutral as possible.

Artemis' eyes widened. "You couldn't do it? How could you just let it get away? You could have called everyone -" he trailed off, looking confused. "Then who?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She laughed.

Artemis looked affronted. "Try me."

Minako had been debating telling him anyway - but now she simply had to see his reaction. He was always so adorable when he was in shock or surprised or being messed with. Minako knew Artemis very, very well. This would blow his mind.

Possibly not in a good way - though.

"Senshi I never thought I'd see again after our initial training with them all those years ago." She said. "They told us to stay out of the grown-up's fights and to avoid the conflict. I got a letter from Queen Serenity that echoed that sentiment."

Artemis' reaction was underwhelming and he looked resigned. "I knew that this day would come."

It was Minako's turn to look alarmed. "What? How?"

Artemis began to pace the balcony, his expression serious. "The queen told us long ago - when Luna and I were first charged with this mission that the Time Guardian had seen a future for the Earth and had shared it with her. They were great friends - you know - even if they never told anyone of their friendship."

Minako shook her head, "It was a very poorly kept secret." The Time Guardian would come to see the Queen on occasion when Minako was guarding her. The woman was tall and always silent, but there was a quiet companionship between her and the queen. Minako had been jealous of that relationship back then – wishing for that sort of companionship when her closest personal relationship at the time was fraught with conflict.

Artemis shrugged. "The queen told us that she had put precautions in place before she lost control of the ginzouishou to her daughter and Metalia that would enable her senshi to be reborn on Earth when the time was right. And that they were to protect the Earth like it was their home."

"And the Guardians of the Outer Rim were included in this?" Minako asked, curious. She had never heard anything of this - but it did make sense. The idea of the one they never spoke of, the harbinger of death and destruction, being reborn however - was more than her mind wanted to entertain thoughts of at the moment.

"I guess so." Artemis sighed. "I take it you do not intend to follow Serenity's orders?"

Minako sighed. "I can't commit treason any more, Artemis. I did my fair share of that during the Past Life and this is one instance of insubordination that I believe I'm allowed. I can't stand by and let this city be at risk - even if everyone and the queen's mother wants me to stay out of it." She closed her eyes. "I think we're meant to be involved. Mars has had visions of the future and it is bleak without our powers."

"How did yours return?" Artemis looked skeptical, as though he could not believe what he had seen just moments before.

A slight half-smile crossing her face, Minako said airily, "I asked Mother Venus."

"I thought you'd vowed to not go back to the old ways."

She had. It had done her no favors back then, when she was sick and dying and wanted to lose herself in her mission. Now she could control what was going on and that filled her with a sense of great purpose as well as a confidence that she had only been able to fake so well when she had been so desperate to avoid human contact back then. "I had no choice, Artemis." It was the truth. It was the act of meditating and prayer that had helped her to focus her powers was enough to say to Minako that there was something to be said for the act of concentration and prayer.

She exhaled quietly. Her head was pounding with the exertion of grasping her henshin once again. She wanted to sleep for a day or two, but she had to get her day started – or else she would fall behind and be scrambling for the rest of the week to catch up on the pre-release schedule for her new album.

All of a sudden, the pain intensified greatly in her head as a surge of power, an aura she had not felt in years pushed itself through all of her consciousness. The pain was so much that her knees trembled and she sank to the cool concrete of the balcony. "Usagi…" she muttered as Artemis hurried to her side. "Usagi has been attacked."


	22. Chapter 22

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Second Story**

**AN: **An iconic scene from the Infinity Arc of the Manga, rehashed and reimagined.

Stepping into places that no one has been save one.

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Tokyo, Summer, Present Day.

Mid-morning sunlight filtered through the tree over her head as Chiba – formerly Tsukino - Usagi opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and she could not remember how she had found herself under a tree. She had been going to the store and had spent the morning doing laundry.

"What happened?" She muttered bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. Her skin was almost painfully hot to the touch. She was lying on her back on a park bench. She could not remember how she had gotten there. There was no blood on her head and she clearly was not hurt.

A distinct feeling of panic set in her stomach. She remembered waking up like this – in strange places – after losing complete control over herself and her memories. Had that happened again? Had she felt threatened enough that Princess Serenity had taken control of her body and saved her once again?

"You passed out," a voice said quietly from beside her. Leaning against the tree was a tall woman clad in the all-too-familiar garb of a Sailor Senshi. Usagi's breath caught, struck by the beauty of this woman as well the power that emanated from this person. _Who was she?_ There was something different about this woman, something dark and ominous – her boots, shorter gloves and businesslike stance suggested she was not like Usagi and her friends.

Usagi sat up, curling her legs underneath her and leaning over the back of the bench, staring at the woman. "You're a Senshi." She said, disbelief cutting through her voice. "Who are you?"

The woman stepped forward, sandy blond hair falling into her eyes as she leaned down and started at Usagi. Her eyes were dark and intense, a thoughtful share of blue that made Usagi's cheeks flush bright red. "Don't get in our way, little one." She said, her tone husky as she leaned closer.

Suddenly there were lips on hers and Usagi's eyes shot open, her headache suddenly irrelevant as she felt the violation of that place, where only Mamoru had ever been before. It felt so strange, so violating – and yet so enticing.

"Usagi!" As fast as the wind, the Senshi was gone.

Her hand clamped over her mouth, Usagi turned to see Aino Minako hurrying towards her – out of breath and red-faced. She'd obviously come from a distance.

"Minako…" Usagi slowly moved her hand down from her lips, they felt swollen and tender. She felt violated.

_She's like the wind._

Minako stopped just short of Usagi's bench, leaning over and composing herself for a moment and righting herself. "Are you alright?"

Was she? Usagi honestly did not know. Minako's concerned look and frantic expression seemed to imply that she had done something that she could not remember.

"Serenity… she…." Usagi looked down at her hands; Minako's knowing look told all. She had done something – Minako had sensed what had happened and had come to find her to make sure she wasn't destroying anything.

She sighed. "I don't know what happened. I was going to the store and then I was here. There… there was another Senshi."

Minako put her hand on Usagi's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Her expression was one that Usagi could not read and she instantly wished that Rei was there, because Rei could read Minako's expression and it was far easier to read the fiery woman's face than the idol's stoic expression. Sometimes Usagi hated that about Minako. She wanted so desperately to be considered an equal, but she always felt inadequate.

She knew that she had nothing to worry about, that Minako was her friend, and one of her closest at that, but the feeling was sometimes hard to shake.

"We were going to tell you about them, the next time we met." Minako said quietly – her tone serious. "Rei and I have met them before."

Usagi swallowed. Secrets, again. She hated this.

"Come with me, I will tell you what we know, Princess."


	23. Chapter 23

**PGSM THE SECOND STORY**

**AN: **Sorry for the delay on getting this out, it was really hard to write.**  
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Tokyo, Late Summer, Present Day.

They gathered, wordlessly, at the Crown Karaoke parlor. They all knew that something was deathly wrong with the world - as the feeling of powerlessness that came with the Princess' reappearance was enough to send even denial to a back burner. Hino Rei pushed her hair over her shoulder and adjusted the hem of her t-shirt as she tapped her foot impatiently against the leg of her chair.

Minako had gone to get Usagi - she had sent a text from her old number - the one that was connected to those tacky communicator phones that Luna had given them years ago - saying as much. But they were late.

Typical with Usagi, but certainly not with Minako.

The growing uneasiness in her stance must have been obvious as Makoto exhaled loudly and growled, "What's taking them so damn long."

Rei shrugged. She knew that it had to be important for Minako to dawdle. She just hoped that there had not been another attack - as they were still powerless to stop it.

She hated that she longed for the power that she had once hated so deeply for destroying any chance at a normal life that she had once so desperately wished for. Their gift in this life was a curse, and a new threat was just making that more and more obvious. They did not even know who the enemy was.

She frowned, glancing at Ami's nervous hands, fiddling with her handkerchief. She had cleaned her glasses three times since she'd arrived and now was looking for something else to worry on.

"Why do you think she lost control?" Ami asked at length, her tone disbelieving. "I did not think Princess Serenity could still..." She trailed off, the sentence left unspoken as they stared at each other - fearful looks crossing all of their faces. There was something to be said for the fact that they were still sitting here today, a gift of that same awesome, terrifying power that had brought them back so harshly from doom.

Ami swallowed, once, twice before speaking. Her voice was more even now, as the worry for her best friend as Usagi sealed her away with the Ginzouishou."

Rei tilted her chair backwards, balancing by hooking her foot around the table leg and rocking back and forth. She felt like a child in this place - their old refuge. They were adults now - with lives and worries beyond the fate of the world.

_Where the hell are you, Mina?_

She would not voice her fears without someone else who shared her views to back her up. Ami and Makoto had both made it clear that they were not entirely sold on the idea of tackling another foe just when their lives seemed to be completely at peace. "They are the same person, Ami." She said finally. "For her to lose control and revert to a past personal means that something was so threatening to her that she felt she had no choice but for self-preservation."

Ami's depressed and sullen glare at the table was enough to tell Rei that there was, as always, an underlying undercurrent of Ami's personal hang-ups about their time as senshi in her anger at their having to return to arms once again. Rei had talked to Ami about this fact at length, back when they were fourteen and foolish. Ami had fallen prey to the enemy then, out of fear of losing Usagi forever. Rei - on some level, still wondered about what had happened to Ami during that time - she never spoke of it.

She had befriend Nephrite though, Rei knew that much. They were still friends with all of the men who had once tormented their childhood - it came with maturity that they had not possessed back then. In those days they - she was the only one really - who was likely to attack without warning. It was a simple equation. Action against inaction. She could not risk whatever it was that they were fighting for in favor of sitting pretty and hoping – praying – that nothing would happen.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and Minako's head and shoulders become clearly visible. Usagi's arm was wrapped around her shoulder and she was obviously helping the other girl along. She was obviously very weak, but the wide-eyed look of complete shock in her eyes said far more about what had happened than anything that Minako's hurried texts and phone messages had managed to convey.

"Usagi!" Makoto said, fear clearly in her voice as she hurried up the stairs to take Usagi's weight off of Minako's shoulders. They shared the burden coming down the stairs and depositing Usagi comfortably on the couch. Ami pulled a blanket over her and they all gathered, hesitantly at the edge, fearful to say anything.

"You guys are way too nice to me." Usagi grinned and suddenly the spell of silence was broken and they all began to speak at once. Rei held her tongue, waiting for the right moment to speak as Ami and Makoto demanded to know if she was alright and if anything had happened to her.

"No strange men _touched you_? Are you sure, Usagi-chan?" Makoto cracked her knuckles menacingly and Usagi deflected, saying that she was far too cautious for something like that to happen. Still, Rei narrowed her eyes as Makoto seemed to accept Usagi's – _her lie_ – at its face. Why was she lying? She had not really truly been attacked had she?

Rei glanced over at Minako, who shrugged elaborately and jerked her chin back to Usagi as if to suggest that Rei ask her.

Rei shook her head; she did not want to be the one. Besides, she frowned at Minako, you are the leader, act like it.

Minako smirked at her and shook her head.

Rei stuck her tongue out at her.

Ami tucked the blanket more closely around Usagi and frowned, "You really should rest, Usagi-chan, you seem very fatigued."

"I'm fine, Ami-chan. It was just … you know how that goes." Usagi laughed disingenuously and Rei raised her eyebrow at Minako who was also frowning. Obviously, they were on the same page with this. If Princess Sailor Moon was going to manifest because of those old allies – or was it enemies (Minako had not been specific) – that had suddenly invaded their peaceful lives; they had the right to know.

"Did you see one of them?" Rei asked quietly, her voice suddenly found amongst the banter between Usagi and Ami. "One of those other Senshi?"

Usagi's eyes went wide. She pouted and sat up suddenly, looking at Rei and by extension Minako, with a disbelieving stare. "You knew?" She whispered. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"

"We did not want to trouble you princess, if it turned out to be nothing," Minako said lamely.

"You should have told me," Usagi said, finishing the curt sentence with a name that neither of them had heard in millennia. Minako's birth name in Venusian was nigh unpronounceable in the Japanese language, and Rei had only recently remembered this fact. The fact that Usagi (who claimed not to remember anything about the past life) could remember such an intimate detail of Minako's past bothered Rei on a deep intellectual level.

The princess could not return. They would not again advent the end of days in their battles.

And yet, Rei closed her eyes, sick to her stomach at what she was about to tell Usagi and the others. "There's something else – a vision that I have been having." She felt stupid for lying, stupid for thinking that she could get away without having to share the words again. They terrified her.

"I had a vision of the end of the world," her voice was more even than she had anticipated it being. "The silence, it was called. A blade fell and the world crumbled around me. A voice that I didn't recognize told me that unless something – they were called talismans – were found, that nothing could be done to prevent the end." Rei shrugged lamely, "I always wake up after that."

The frown that cut across Usagi's face made Rei feel sick to her stomach. Ami and Makoto looked nervously from Rei to Usagi to (hesitantly) Minako as if looking for answers. "I won't do it again." Usagi said quietly. "I won't become _her_ again."

"With all due respect, Usagi," Minako said quietly. "I don't think we have much choice in the matter." In her hands was a pen with a star on the top and the symbol of Venus stamped across it. Rei's eyes narrowed as Minako handed it to Usagi and the others gathered in close.

"Yours are over on the shelf," She said, pointing.

They turned as one, and on the shelf next to the cups for the fizzy drinks that were bad for their teeth and Rei hated (but humored Usagi and the others by drinking) were those same pens.

_Serenity save us all, _Rei thought desperately as her fingers closed around the red pen.


	24. Chapter 24

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: When you need to have a cryptic conversation, Sailor Pluto is fucking boss.

* * *

Tokyo, Late Summer, Present Day

There was power there now, they could all feel it. Rei's fingers felt awkward as she held the pen with the star cap and Mars symbol emblazoned upon the top. It was like coming home, almost, the fire burned within her very soul. She could sense it, feel it pulsating through her as she stood, eyes hard – staring off into space. Her eyes saw everything and yet they saw nothing.

"I won't transform," Rei said angrily, shoving the pen into her purse and gathering her things. "Not until I know more about this threat." She would not have her peace disturbed, not when she was so close to achieving so many things that she could have hardly dreamed of just weeks before.

"Mars…" Minako said, her hand clenched into a fist around her own pen.

"Rei-chan," Usagi said. Rei looked away, staring at the floor.

Rei slung her purse over her shoulder and scowled, "I am going to meditate." She announced. "We know next to nothing about the new foe, and these new potential allies. It seems smart to try and get some answers from the fire, if I can."

They couldn't argue with her when she spoke like that. And no one protested when she stormed up the stairs. Rei knew that Minako would follow later – and that they would be able to discuss things at length then. She just couldn't bring herself to face it – not until she knew more.

x

The evening's storms had cleared and Tsukino Usagi was walking home alone. When Rei had left the Crown on her own, she had finally understood the weight of what was happening and desperately hoped that Rei could find some answers in the fire.

She raised her hand to touch her lips, exhaling quietly as she did so. _Who was she…_ she thought, closing her eyes in shame. That person, whoever they were, had taken something from her that she could not every well get back. A kiss stolen, in ancient Lunarian lore (that she knew absolutely nothing about, thank you), was as good as a kiss given freely. It allowed a suitor to claim a share of one's affections and attentions. Tsukino Usagi closely guarded her lips for this reason and this reason alone. She could not let anyone other than Mamoru have them, for he could not share and she would never ask him to.

Once, when they had been much younger, she'd let Ami kiss her in a fit of school-girl passion. It had been so awkward that they never spoke of it after it had happened, but she knew that in doing it, she had allowed Ami what she had wanted without having to break her best friend's heart. Ami had Nephrite now, and they were close.

The sound of footsteps jolted Usagi from her reverie, and she looked up. A tall figure approached her, traveling down the well-walked sidewalk. Usagi raised her hand and squinted into the setting sun, marveling at the woman's dark skin and beautiful physique. It was odd to see one so dark here in Tokyo, but the woman was obviously not African, just deeply tan.

As their paths crossed, Usagi gave a half bow out of politeness, and moved to continue on, but something stopped her. From deep within her consciousness, a voice cried out for her to stop and to confront the woman.

"You wished to speak to me," the woman said quietly, her accent as the other Senshi that Usagi had met had been – deeply English and unfamiliar with the monotone of spoken Japanese. There was something else there too, an accent that Usagi shook her head at. There was no way she was hearing that, not now – not in this time.

Still, her lips moved of their own accord, hard and angry. _The Princess_, she groaned mentally. "Why is it that you have been reborn?"

The woman turned to her then, dark eyes shining with an emotion that Usagi could not place, "We have a mission, the same as you, _princess_."

"You have blatant disregard for the people of this city, of my home." Usagi stepped forward, the woman was a good head taller than her, but she felt as though she had the upper hand in this conversation. "I want you to stop."

"We cannot stop, highness." The woman retorted, "Not until we find them."

"You already have them-" Usagi was confused. She knew that Rei had said that the other Senshi were looking for 'talismen' but it would not make any sense for them to look if they already had them.

"That is a secret I cannot reveal without ruining the timeline." The woman looked apologetic. "Forgive my intrusion? I promise that they won't get in your way again." She bowed low and Usagi shook her head, not wanting to accept that answer.

"We do not wish to fight against you, but if you will blatantly disregard human life, we must." Her words were steely and her mood had turned black. "This is Endymion's planet; I will not have it threatened."

"This is not by choice, highness." The woman raised her hand and a staff fell into vision. "I swear on my talisman – the Garnet Orb – that I will not take unnecessary life."

"And the others?" Usagi demanded, "Where is your fourth member?"

_Fourth member? _ Usagi's brow furrowed. If there was a Senshi for all the planets… perhaps Neptune or Saturn?

"Do not speak of her, she will not be needed."

Usagi folded her arms, "I would hope not. I cannot remake the planet on a whim, Setsuna."

"Princess," The woman smiled, and a pair of doors appeared behind her.

_The Gates of Time_, the princess' subconscious whispered to Usagi, _where the time guardian resides._

"I never expected you to."


	25. Chapter 25

**Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  
The Second Story**

AN: Wee Plot advancement. Annnnnd I'm done for the day.

* * *

Tokyo, Late Summer, Present Day

The fire burned dark and ominous before her as Rei settled down in front of it as she'd done for the past few days. Every day was the same – there were no answers for her here. The pen lay forgotten on dresser as she moved about her duties to the shrine. She was the priestess now, at least part time. Soon though, she would take up the mantle full time. She was looking forward to the day.

She pulled all distraction to the front of her mind and then forced it back and away, her mind focused singularly on the terrifying vision that she wanted to know more about. Bile rose up in her throat and she felt her face pull downward into an angry frown as she tried to keep from gagging.

The destroyed city, all of their bodies crumbling away into nothingness. They had to find the talismen, or the messiah would come and bring the silence. The desperation was terrifying, and Rei raised her hand, stretching it deep into the fire. She would pull understanding out of the flames even if they did not want cooperate.

_You are a most stubborn individual, Hino Rei,_ a voice whispered at the corners of her mind. _Why not just ask?_

Rei frowned, snatching her hand back. "Ask who?" she demanded.

_If you don't know that, then I will not help you, Hino Rei._ The voice sounded almost annoyed. _Search within yourself, the answers are already there._

Rei brought her hands up to cup the flame and draw it towards her, her control steady and constant. The flames played across her palm as she marveled at the amount of power she now held in her hands. "Is this a maturation?" She asked.

The voice in the back of her head, Rei knew who it was now. Mars Reiko had never been one for subtlety. _When you were attacked in the park, that was a maturation, this is merely your power now, Hino Rei._

She pretended she didn't remember the past, she didn't remember how Minako had looked back then as Venus, how enticing and powerful and how in love they had been. She didn't want to think about it. Not with Usagi being threatened by some alien force and their peace crashing down around them.

The flame danced before her, her breathing steady. "I am at my prime now."

_You should praise Father Mars._

"I will not go back to the old ways." Rei shook her head, clapping her hands together and watching as the flames dispersed and vanished.

_It is by his will that you can do this._

Rei's brow furrowed. She was not going to allow herself to become like Minako, so aware of the past that she allowed it to rule her present identity. She knew what the songs on this latest album were about – and why she needed a violinist to accompany her. "Minako cares enough about the past life for the rest of us."

A hollow laugh. _You'll find that that isn't the case, Hino Rei. Give libation, just this once, they are old gods, a prayer and a sacrifice will do no harm._

Rei hesitated, nervous of the implication of her actions. She pulled a fresh stick of insence from the packages and setting it into the holder, two fingers closed over the tip. The tip smoked under her fingertips for a moment, before coming alight. _So this is the power of Mars_, Rei thought, frowning at it.

She claps her hands together and says the ancient words in the language she doesn't remember. They're all becoming like they were in the past life it seems.

That doesn't mean she has to like it.

Only when Mars Reiko was silent in response did Rei realize that this was the answer she was so desperately looking for.

x

They were rehearsing, discussing the first song off of Minako's new album. It was a quiet song, like a lullaby - and one of the few where Michiru's violin was front and center as the only musical accompaniment to Aino Minako's voice other than the piano that the girl herself played in the original recording song. There was debate between their two respective managers about how, exactly, they were going to film the PV for this song.

It was so quiet and melancholy in comparison to much of Minako's previous work. The usual standby of Japanese pop music videos with lots of close ups and cute outfits simply would not fit, her manager was arguing - and Minako's manager was still trying to find a way to work in some of that nonsense.

Michiru had already decided her part, and had already shot her scenes from the video - on a cliff side over the crashing ocean that reminded her so distinctly of the cliffs at Dover she'd visited as a child. She had felt at complete peace there - standing barefoot with her violin cradled under her chin. Even as a civilian, as far from Neptune as she could make herself, she still felt the draw of the ocean. She had wanted to jump, to fall into that loving embrace that she knew would do her no harm.

It was strange, Michiru reasoned, how her thought process had changed since she had finally accepted Neptune's consciousness against her own. They had to be one in order to complete the mission, but Michiru could feel her personality changing against Neptune's - becoming more like the seemingly heartless warrior against her will.

That sensation made her want to step off the cliff. To fall into her element so she would not have to dirty her hands and her soul any more with this ruthless pursuit of the talismen. She would not die then, and she knew that. But she wanted the sensation of falling and of control once again. Everything was so out of control now. She hated it.

Aino Minako had stared at her then, on that dawn by the seaside, a strange look of realization on her face that made Michiru wonder just how comprehending she was of the reason why they had picked this particular location to film. The idol was so wrapped up in her own conflict right now, and Michiru had caught her, several times, staring off into space, her hand moving aimlessly over the steno pad that she brought with her to their meetings. She was writing in that swirling and backwards language once again - writing in Venusian as though no one knew what she was doing.

As their respective managers' voices grew louder, Michiru leaned over to get a better look at the pad upon which the idol had been scribbling.

"Maybe you should stick to Japanese." She commented quietly, noting Minako's hastily written verses of a prayer to Aphrodite in Old Venusian, as well as a few bars of a melody that Michiru could hear quite clearly in her head.

Aino blushed ever so slightly and pulled the pad closer to herself. "They're just doodles." She muttered, not meeting Michiru's eyes.

Michiru nodded, her expression carefully neutral. "The tune sounds nice though. But I think we should both concentrate on getting this concert series done so that I can go home and you can move on to bigger and better things."

"I know that I have been distracted recently, and I'm sorry for that." Minako said in a hushed voice. She still would not meet Michiru's inquisitive gaze. "I just have a lot on my plate right now and I've gotten out of the habit of this balancing act."

Well if that wasn't an admission Michiru didn't know what was. She shrugged. "Suit yourself, Minako. Just keep in mind that your duties are more important than personal crusades." She was taking a risk there - and she knew it. She didn't want Aino to read too much into what she had said - but she had been warned to stay out of their way, and she had steadfastly refused to do just that.

Aino Minako, who was almost never at a loss for words, opened and closed her mouth several times before airily saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Michiru wanted to continue their conversation, but her manager had rounded on her and was firing off rapid-succession suggestions for the rest of the PV and Michiru found herself hurrying to answer as Minako carefully flipped to a fresh page on note book and began to take real notes.

This ruse was not going to last much longer, Michiru realized.

x

Mizuno Ami was glad to have been granted a fellowship at the hospital where her mother worked so soon after graduating from medical school, but she was not at all surprised at the fact that her mother's stellar reputation had raised the bar unimaginably high for her daughter. She worked hard, did her job well, and was well-liked by the hospital staff. Her white coat was always neatly pressed and she always had stickers or temporary tattoos in her pockets for her young patients.

She felt professional, even if inside she was panicked.

Usagi had become the princess again. Usagi was in danger of losing herself once more. Fear gripped Ami as she tried not to think about what had had happened the last time she herself had lost control. It was painful, terrifying and still gave her nightmares. She tried to be better, and she didn't let the torch she still oft-carried for Usagi get in the way of her best friend's marriage.

Ami had someone now, just like Mako did. Rei had Minako and Minako had Rei – Ami wasn't a fool and could see it even when they didn't speak to each other. That was a carry-over from the past life, she'd figured that out after Rei had told them all what it had been like being the only one who _knew_ Minako was sick.

"Dr. Mizuno, your two o'clock is here," The floor nurse knocked on her office door and jerked Ami from her thoughts. Her two o'clock was a particularly interesting case and Ami did not want to be late.

The poor girl – Tomoe Hotaru – had been injured in a laboratory fire several years ago and was still undergoing surgeries to correct the damage that had been caused by the fire. Her father was a scientist, and a strange man.

Ami tired not to judge the girl's scarred appearance – instead offering her expertise and a smile.

It was all she could do.


	26. Chapter 26

**PGSM The Second Story**

AN: Kaori Night and some Haruka!POV. Everyone Enjoy shit's about the hit the fan.

* * *

_Tokyo, Late Summer, Present Day_

"Dr. Mizuno," the prematurely white-haired man intoned quietly from the chair just outside the examination room. "I do not believe you have met my assistant-"

Mizuno Ami looked up at the bright and smiling face of the busty woman with red hair standing just off to Dr. Tomoe's left, her arms folded to accentuate her figure. Ami smiled, and bowed ever so slightly, "The pleasure is all mine, Ms…"

"Night. Kaori Night," The woman supplied, her voice far harder than Ami would have anticipated. She sounded as foreign as her name, and Ami wondered if she spoke English. It was not polite to assume such a thing about a person, so Ami merely smiled in greeting and looked away.

There was something about this woman that was extremely off-putting. Bad vibes, as Minako would say in her moments of not acting like a super cool calm and collected international superstar. Ami schooled her features perfectly blank and collected her thoughts. "Dr. Tomoe, if I could speak to you in my office?"

She did not want to voice her concerns about his daughter's physical state in his assistant's presence. It was not professional or polite to Hotaru.

"Certainly. Do you mind if Kaorinite joins us?" Dr. Tomoe asked, his eyebrows raised in an expression that made him look almost maniacal.

Kaori Night smiled at Ami and Ami did not know what to say. It was against hospital policy to discuss treatment with anyone who was not a relative of the patient in question, and extremely unethical to even contemplate doing such a thing. This whole situation was so strange, the doctor referred to her by her full name, last and given, despite the fact that it was very strange to do that in modern Japanese. Or English, or any language that Ami could think of.

Ami chose her words carefully, "It is not normally done, but I'll make an exception this once."

"Thank you, I want Kaorinite to be able to take Hotaru to appointments in the future if I cannot step away from my work, so I would like to bring her up to date on the treatment." The doctor explained as Ami pushed open the door to her office and walked to stand behind her desk. That made more sense, honestly. She could justify that.

They sat down in unison and Ami pulled the chart that she'd tucked into her pocket out and set it with her other notes on Hotaru's treatment.

"I will be frank, her unnatural growth is cause for concern. Couple that with the fact that her scars from the accident are not healing and I am very concerned for you daughter, Dr. Tomoe."

x

Haruka Tenou did not like Japan. It was difficult to find open road here. She wanted to ride, she longed to get back onto her bike and pedal her way towards victory once again. She'd taken time off from the racing circuit to come to Japan with Michiru and see this thing through, but now she was not so sure.

There were a lot of things that she wasn't sure about now, as she sat just outside the recording studio where Michiru and Aino Minako were finishing up shooting the PV for the single that was due to drop in less than a week. The video had to be done before the single was released and it was crunch time in terms of production.

Haruka wasn't sure what had happened, when she'd spoken with the girl who was the princess and yet who was not. She didn't know why she'd told that girl – Usagi – that battle games were dangerous. Or why she'd kissed her. Her fingers brushed her lips, thinking of how she'd sullied them. Intent, oh _Uranus_ – intent. She'd forgotten about that, and she hoped beyond hope that that girl would not remember what that had meant.

She had wanted a moment of fun, to scare the girl some and to get her to stay the hell away from what she and Michiru (and Setsuna, as soon as she stopped being cryptic and hiding from them) had to do for the mission. The princess didn't need to see the lives that would be lost for this cause, and Haruka had intended to scare her off. The kiss, now that she truly thought about it, could have been construed as far more of a threat than that.

_I just marked the princess of the white moon for death. Lovely._

Haruka folded her arms across her chest and scowled.

"Are they not finished?" From across the room, by the door that lead to the labyrinthine corridors that eventually lead outside, a woman's voice called. Haruka looked up to see that same girl she always saw around Aino Minako standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of her linen vest and looking uncomfortable.

Haruka shrugged, and gestured to the chair next to her, "No idea. I've been here a while." She knew she was being overly friendly, and that a proper Japanese girl might not take too kindly to her kindness, but she was grateful for the conversation.

The girl crossed the room in a few short steps. Haruka liked how she carried herself, like an idol or a warrior – without fear. _Sailor Mars_, Uranus' voice echoed in her head. Haruka was intrigued, and leaned forward when the girl sat down. "I'm Haruka," she said, offering her hand in a very western gesture. "Haruka Tenou."

The girl stared at it for a minute, before taking it, "Hino Rei. Your Japanese is very good." She smiled, and didn't meet Haruka's eyes in that annoying way that Japanese women thought was polite but was really just aggravating.

"Thank you, my grandmother would be pleased. She taught me," Haruka grinned. The compliment had been unexpected. The girl – Hino Rei – didn't seem the type to randomly dish out compliments without truly meaning them.

"Ah," Rei said, leaning back in her chair. "Are you here for Kaiou-san then?"

"Am I that obvious?" Haruka inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Steadfast brown eyes met her own, and her companion's expression became unreadable. "You're the only westerner other than Kaiou-san that Minako is working with."

Haruka's brow furrowed. No honorific, in Japanese, was a _big_ deal. It meant a level of intimacy that surpassed those of casual or even deep friendship.

_Well well well, Aino Minako isn't as perfect as she seems._ Haruka's thoughts were dark, but knowing that this girl was Mars explained a lot. There was a healthy respect for the fiery warrior embedded deep into Uranus' very being. Haruka wondered if they'd ever fought together, in the past life.

"You caught me," Haruka shrugged, "I'm usually off training for races at this time of year, but Michiru wanted company while in Japan, so here I am."

"That is very kind of you," Rei said. She seemed thoughtful for a moment before asking, "What do you think of Minako's new CD?"

It seemed an odd question, but Haruka didn't think there was any harm in answering it. "The melodies that she uses are unique. They speak to something deep within me."

"Memories…" Rei muttered, shaking her head disdainfully. "Why can't she leave it alone?"

"Leave what alone, Reiko?" The door had opened and Aino Minako was standing flanked by both Michiru's and her own manager.

"Mars Reiko-san!" Minako's manager shrieked delightedly as Rei stood up and smiled crookedly at the man.

"Hello," she said quietly, "It's been a while."

"I would say so. Minako-chan, I'm going to be borrowing Mars-san here for a few minutes, we'll be in my office."

"But…" Aino Minako raised her hand in protest and Haruka did not miss the pleading look in Hino Rei's eyes directed at her.

"No buts, go get changed."

And then, just as suddenly as there had been people, there were two once again.

"Michiru-san is putting away her violin and will be out in a few minutes, Tenou-san." Minako said quietly. "Was Rei here long?"

"Thank you, and no. She had just arrived when you came out."

"Mn. Thank you." Minako looked pensive for a minute, but then her face hardened. Haruka sensed it too. There was an attack, and close. Minako glanced down at her watch, and then to Haruka. "Stay here," she said, before sprinting off in the direction that Haruka herself felt pulled towards.

"Aino-san…" Haruka called after her, half-heartedly and quietly. She did not want to stop her. It was better for her to suffer the defeat at the hands of the youma they were facing, it would teach her to stay away from the monsters. She could not transform, she had been told not to fight.

Why she was doing it was a mystery.

_I just hope you know what you're doing, Venus. Serenity does not take kindly to treason._


End file.
